Death, Be Not Proud
by Underneath Society
Summary: Well, in my defense, how would YOU act with a nasty little voice in your head that was once a man to knock anyone's socks off? Yup, that's about what I thought.... This is one of those rare Usagi/Chaos fics.... Try it. It might agree wth you. Complete!
1. Chaotic Developments

Death, Be Not Proud....  
Underneath Society  
underneath_society@hotmail.com  
  
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Let's keep this one at a nice PG13, hmm? Sailormoon and Gundam Wing aren't mine, yatta yatta, and you'd better review if you want any more of this. That's it.  
  
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*It'll never work out. We'll kill each other first. I'm different now... why can't they see it? I'm not quiet anymore... I'm ME. I'm not the little baby anymore... I'm... I'm not Usagi anymore. I'm sick of acting, sick of this facade... sick of being treated like the child that died as soon as I held the ginzuishou. Had to keep acting... had to keep making the enemy underestimate me... had to watch them all die so they wouldn't discover my act... but... goddess be damned, the wars are over--- SETSUNA PROMISED ME... I'm being myself... and they treat me like a goddamned time bomb!*   
  
Usagi looked up sourly, realizing that Ami had asked her a question.   
  
"Pardon?" She asked.  
  
It took every ounce of Ami's self-control not to roll her eyes. Lately, Usagi had been becoming more and more sullen, more and more distant.   
  
"I asked you what you were planning to do next Friday, Usagi." Ami pursed her lips, increasing Usagi's annoyance. Minako alone noticed how the blonde's hands balled up into fists and her frame tensed. "I wanted everyone together so I scan you all and determine if the Last Fight didn't leave anyone with any deformities."  
  
Rei and Makoto looked up sharply at Usagi's gasp.  
  
*Naw... the others are okay... but if Ami scans me she'll henshin and kill me, no questions asked. I didn't tell them that... no, can't do this...*  
  
-Yes, think, your highness,- the voice sneered.-How will you get out of this one? DO tell!-  
  
*Shut up, bastard.*  
  
"I'm sorry, Ami." Usagi said, her voice almost too level. "I have a previous engagement I can't get out of."  
  
-Oh, please....-  
  
Ami sighed. "Usagi, we don't know what effects the battle had on you! It's been half a year and I've not scanned you once. You could be dying, or something!"  
  
-Oh, dying? Go ahead, Serenity. Tell the soldier the truth!-  
  
*If you don't shut the hell up, I'll let her scan us and die happily.*  
  
She felt the voice hesitate. Anger that was not her own pierced her.  
  
-Bitch.-  
  
She smiled.   
  
"I'm sorry, Ami. Maybe later." She would have said more, something more convincing to deplete the dubious stares she was getting from her friends, but something painfully familiar hit her senses just before Rei jumped to her feet and Ami's palmtop went berserk.  
  
-Leftover youma attack, Serenity. Get out of this one, I DARE YOU.-  
  
*Shut the FUCK UP!* She screamed at the voice. Her own mind raced as her senshi transformed and looked to her expectantly.  
  
"What are you waiting for, Usagi?" Mars asked impatiently. "You know the drill! Get a move on... or else there won't be anyone left to save."   
  
Usagi climbed her feet and took the broach she'd started keeping in her pocket and raised it.  
  
-This is gonna be FUN...-  
  
*Speak for yourself...*  
  
"M--moon Eternal... Make up!" She stumbled over the first word and held her breath as the locket opened and started to pulsate with light. It was impossible not to notice that the light, instead of being a pure white as it always had been, was a blue in color and sharper than usual.  
  
-If they don't notice, then I OVERESTIMATED you. And that would be saying something, since I had you and your group of misfits pegged as a bunch of teenagers who couldn't walk properly, let alone fight. You're the only one worth something, but I can't do anything about it.-  
  
*Oh. POOR you... If this doesn't get us killed, I will be thankful. Selene, goddess, please. Just let me live to fight another day and I'll never, ever complain about this abomination in my head.*  
  
-Uh-huh. Lie to your own deity, Serenity. There's not much else you can do to piss her off. Not anything you've not done already, that is.-  
  
*Fuck off.*  
  
-Such language, my my....-  
  
Ribbons of the purest black and ribbons of the most brilliant silver began to explode from the locket in her hands, drawing gasps and exclamations of shock from the four senshi watching. They watched as the ribbons wrapped around Usagi, and then a wall of silver and black fire spun out of the warrior's outstretched palms, weaving a sphere of pure power around her, hiding her from view as the final changes took place.  
  
*We're... powerful... beyond even Queen Serenity's imagination!*  
  
-This... The voice sounded awed. This, I did not expect.-  
  
Sailor Moon, if she could even be called that anymore, wore a senshi fuku unlike any that had graced mortal sight before, a creation of the darkest violet and lightest lavender, of the most pure white and of silver. The skirt was longer, no longer pleated but more fine, a material that looked like satin and left like liquid fire. The bows that were standard on any senshi fuku were of the same slinky material, and these were the violet coloring on the fuku. The locket had placed itself between the bow upon her breast, not different to even the most scrutinous of gazes.  
  
The gloves were finely made and reached to her elbows, of a material that didn't tear, rip, or snag, silvery in hue. Her boots were black, and now of a design frighteningly similar to Uranus's. The sailor handkerchief around her shoulders was lavender, as was the stone in the center of her forehead, the stone that was there without any assistance of a tiara.  
  
The bodice was white and strange against her skin, so fine it almost wasn't there, but when she tried it later, the cloth wouldn't give under the sharpest of blades nor the fastest of bullets. The balls in her odango were lavender and silver studs decorated her earlobes.  
  
-I hate to be the one to say this, but we, my admirable adversary, are in deep shit.-  
  
*No duh, Sherlock. What was your first clue?*  
  
"What are you staring at?" Sailor Moon demanded harshly. "My transformation changed a little... so what?"  
  
"I would most definitely NOT call that a LITTLE change in transformation." Jupiter murmured.  
  
"What happened?" Mercury asked.  
  
Sailor Moon fumbled for a bluff. "It changed after the battle with Galaxia." Not a complete lie. "Nothing big. Are we gonna save the world or are we gonna sit around and stare at my stunning beauty?" She cracked a grin as Mars rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh, pul-eaze!"   
  
Mercury smiled in spite of herself, and Venus giggled, while Jupiter laughed and tried to muffle it, failing miserably.  
  
-Did they... buy it?- The voice was hesitant, not believing their fortune.  
  
*God, Chaos. You're right-- they ARE a bunch of dingbats!*  
  
The voice snickered. -Took you how long?-  
  
*Don't make me tell you to shut up again...*  
  
-I'm shaking, let me tell you about it.-  
  
"Well, you heard the girl!" Venus said. "Let's go kick some youma can!" She flashed them her V-for-Victory sign and giggled, striking the familiar poses. "We can't allow evil to even think they can do a hit and run energy steal thingie!" Sailor Moon closed her eyes-- this was painful. "They must accept their punishment in the name of... well, since I'm saying it... in the name of Venus!"  
  
-I'm just not going to comment. That was too painful for words-- you people say that willingly?-  
  
*Well, it was the best one. The other was "I'm gonna kick your can because I am Sailor Moon!" And then cackle evilly. I never had the cackle down.*  
  
-Hades, you can kill me.-  
  
*One can only hope!*  
  
=Smile when you say that.-  
  
They left the temple, Sailor Moon behind the others, arguing with Chaos. The voice distracted her at the worst of times, but it had saved her grades, which had fallen steadily since she received Luna's gift of power. But now, with Chaos helping her-- "teaching her what he knew"-- things were balancing out. Whether either of them liked it or not, Chaos was there to stay. He could help or remain silent, and he never had been the quiet type.  
  
When Galaxia had released Chaos into the minds of everyone, it was an unspoken agreement that Usagi take the brunt of the evil being. Usagi did it willingly and had no one to curse but herself and her deity-- herself for being foolish enough not to just kill both Galaxia and Chaos and her deity for allowing her to survive all the battles that she had survived.  
  
"I can sense it! We're drawing closer!"  
  
Usagi and Chaos had worked out an agreement not to fight for control. Chaos was the brains, Usagi was the warrior. A perfect combination for the perfect warrior. A paradox that was self contained, one that could heal everything or kill it all in a matter of microseconds.  
  
Aka, if she got mad, it's bye-bye earth.  
  
*The youma are getting a sense of originality.*  
  
-Naw. They've always wanted to hit different places. It was our master plan-- attack the same places repeatedly and after you got comfortable, attack a completely different spot. But you destroyed me before we could pull it off.-  
  
*And you say we're idiotic.*  
  
This particular youma was actually fully clothed, semi-normal looking, and not at all dangerous in aura. It was sitting on a park bench, terrorizing any small child that wandered too close.  
  
She left a rush of terror-- -Oh, SHIT! They said they'd killed her! Get them the fuck away from her, Sailor Moon! NOW!-  
  
*But--*  
  
-NOW!-  
  
Sailor Moon ran for Jupiter as the Jovian senshi was marching up to the youma. The youma's interest had been perked with the tall brunette and she held up a strange black spear. The whole while, Chaos was screaming obscenities and all sorts of awful profanity. She gathered that the youma was a special one and one bitch to deal with.  
  
"Goddess be damned, I get it already!" She yelled aloud, knocking Jupiter away. "This youma is a--" She repeated the string of insults that Chaos had just yelled in her mind. "Get away. Do not let spear hit. Blah Blah. If you don't shut the fuck up, I'm going to release you and kill you the hard way!"  
  
The youma paused. The senshi paused. They looked at the blonde senshi like she'd lost her mind. Usagi, of course, was oblivious.  
  
"Listen. I don't care if your animate thingies told you shit, the youma's here. I'm trying to get used to this freak of a senshi fuku you made me create so please SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND LET ME FIGHT."  
  
She paused, gasping for breath.  
  
-You do realize you're saying this *out loud*, correct?-  
  
"Am not."  
  
-Are too! Listen to yourself, Serenity. Look around you-- they think you're mad.-  
  
Sailor Moon looked at her incredulous senshi, the dawning comprehension on Mercury's face, and the smug smirk of the youma, who stood up, sauntered over to the senshi of the moon and of death, and knelt.  
  
"Master, I was sure you had died." The youma said. "My apologies. I do wonder how you came to share this girl's body and why she is still in charge, but I am a patient demon."  
  
"Master?" Mars's eyes flickered from youma to leader.  
  
"Chaos..." Mercury gasped, her voice a faint whisper.  
  
-We are so scuh-rewed!-  
  
*Commentary is neither needed nor necessary. Now what's so bad about the youma?*  
  
-The-- huh? Oh. OH SHIT! MOVE!-  
  
As all warnings usually are, Chaos's scream came only seconds to late. The youma had watched the mental exchange and grinned. Her master had been whipped by this creature of the shadows and moonbeams. "A fitting end-- do you like war, my senshi friend?"  
  
And the spear came down-- right into Sailor Moon's heart.  
  
-Did I say screwed? I meant fucked. We are fucked.-  
  
*Forget fucked. We're dead. Quite literally. Damn. And before I ever convinced Mamo-chan to sleep with me. I hate Fate.*  
  
Venus cried out as blood gurgled from between Sailor Moon's lips and her power ebbed away back into the locket as a singular trickle of scarlet made its way down her chin and fell. Usagi stared at the youma in shock as Mars and Jupiter both fired their strongest at the youma, and Mercury fainted and Venus just screamed--  
  
And then it was worse, for Usagi vanished as the youma-- oh, the horrible youma-- just laughed as it died in a terrible clashing of fire and thunder.  
  
"She's dead! She's gone!"  
  
"We've failed..."  
  
  
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I love crossovers.... They're so much fun... and I also love cliffhangers. 


	2. Lost In Her Own Mind

Dead, Be Not Proud...  
Chapter Two  
~-~  
  
^.^ Sorry, but the next chapter might be a week or so in coming. But I promise it'll be worth it. ^.^  
  
Oh, sorry! Didn't I say? It's a Gundam Wing/Sailormoon crossover.  
  
~-~  
  
  
  
-Get up! Open your eyes, girl. You're not dead.-   
  
"Just five more minutes, Mom. I'll get up, I swear..."  
  
"Uh-uh, blondie. Heero will kill you if you don't get up now." An amused voice said in accented Japanese. Usagi only vaguely registered the words and tuned out Chaos's panicked chatter.  
  
"Luna, just five more minutes... plen'y of time..." She turned on her side and her hand fumbled for the coverlet that wasn't there. "Don't wanna go to school..."  
  
"Omae o korosu--"  
  
"Not yet, Heero. She's not even awake, and she doesn't look like a soldier." It was a kinder voice that spoke. Usagi's brain woke up instantly when her hand hit dark, wet soil. Sense--  
  
*Ugh... there's blood everywhere... it reeks of death... *  
  
-It's you! You're the one bleeding.-  
  
Not this much...  
  
She opened one big, azure eye and saw three boys, one with a braid, one with blonde hair, and a third holding a gun that was aimed for her.  
  
*Gun. Wonderful. Where are we?*  
  
-My guess? Future. Battleground. Soldiers. Dead.-  
  
"You're helpful." She muttered aloud and was on her feet so fast Heero would have shot her if Quatre hadn't have moved quickly and snatched the gun from Heero's hands.  
  
"Much better." Quatre said cheerfully, Duo quirking a grin at the Death Glare Heero was giving Quatre. Usagi ignored the three and inspected her blood soaked clothing. She felt her chest where the youma had stabbed her-- no much of a wound, superficial at worst, but she had been bleeding heavily. It had slowed now, and there really wasn't much she could do anyway. There was no healing herself. Transforming would only rip her flesh open again, and trying to use the ginzuishou would kill her in her weakened state.   
  
-It's not that bad. You can function with it. Don't show the pain.-  
  
Meanwhile, Duo and Heero had started a argument...  
  
"She's not a soldier, Heero."  
  
"Hn." Heero glared.  
  
"Does she LOOK like a soldier to you? She looks like the daughter of some rich snot. Just got caught in the crossfire, that's all. Right, Babe?" Duo looked at Usagi, whose eyes were fixed on his braid.  
  
"Are you a girl or a boy?" She asked finally, curiosity winning. Quatre laughed and even the edges of Heero's lips cracked just a little as Duo fumed.  
  
-Okay, I've got what we need to know. Exact year is not certain. These three are Gundam pilots. Heero Yuy, the one that wants to kills us, Duo Maxwell, braid boy, and Quatre Winner, Mr. Nice Guy holding gun. First two are psycho. -  
  
"You're one to talk." Usagi muttered softly. Then, a little louder, "I'm leaving. You three go back to whatever hole you've been hiding in. I need to find some bandages and haul ass to somewhere safe until I can get a handle on what the hell's going on here."  
  
"But you're injured." Quatre said, stepping forward. "We couldn't just leave you here... I mean, you're just a girl, and there's mobile suits heading this way.  
  
*Huh?*  
  
-Erma... a weapon?-  
  
*That's it. You're no help. Shut up or... I'll do something stupid to get us killed.*  
  
-Shutting up...-  
  
"Yeah you can." Usagi said. "It's easy. You give Spandex Boy his gun back, all three of you walk away, and I'll sit here and wait for my impending doom. Lemmee tell you, if they manage to kill me, I'll probably thank them. If they can manage it. They might have to take a number, you know, because a lot of people want to kill me. Mr. Yuy, or Spandex Boy, or whatever he is, is probably number... let's see... how many, Chaos?"  
  
-Stupid! Oh. Uhm... around the thirty mark, at least. Counting me. Wait, better make that forty, because a bunch of my minions want to lynch you.-  
  
"Yeah, forty or fifty or something like that." She waited. They stared, or in Heero's case, glared at her. She shrugged. "Fine. I'll leave. Nice meeting you, have a good time in hell, Bu-bye."  
  
She turned.  
  
Heero grabbed his gun and shot it.  
  
Duo sighed.  
  
Usagi turned around and looked at her bullet she had just caught. It burned her fingers and she dropped it and glared at Heero as she struck her injured finger in her mouth.  
  
"See what you did?" She yelped, removing her finger and holding it. "I burned myself because of your stupid bullet... I really needed a blister, let me tell you about it." She looked at the incredulous looks on their faces and felt a headache coming on. The ground beneath her feet started to rumble and she looked down, startled.  
  
The last thing she saw was a blonde blur and then a sharp pain on her neck, and then, only darkness.  
  
She came to with Chaos silent, something that didn't usually happen. She tried to move and found she was bound hand and foot and one the floor of a small room. Her clothing was filthy with dirt and blood that had now dried to her skin. She drew a breath and it HURT. Infection? Not likely. She whimpered as her wound tore open a little.  
  
She tried the rope around her hands-- no use in trying to get that undone, it had probably been placed there by Spandex Boy. The one that held her feet, however, wasn't as well done and she untangled it as quickly as she could with her hands how they were.   
  
She struggled into a sitting position, grumbling that her hands had been tied behind her back, and leaned against the wall. Her hair was tangled, a tatted mess of blonde and rusty brown from died blood. Her skin felt absolutely ratty, streaked with grime from the battlefield and blood that was her own and some that wasn't. She hadn't been wearing shoes when she'd transformed and her socks would never be white again.  
  
"This is lovely." She said aloud, not caring who heard her. "You know, I'll remember this when I create Crystal Tokyo. And whoever tied me up, I've got a couple of words that Chaos taught me: Up Yours. Hard, fast, and no lube."  
  
"You don't look like the kind of girl who would talk like that."  
  
She twisted to her left, ignoring the ripping feeling in her chest and saw a new boy sitting in a chair that was in a dark corner. He was tall, wearing a pair of tight jeans and a loose shirt, his hair falling over one green eye.  
  
"Looks are deceiving. Didn't anyone tell you that?" She retorted, trying futilely to free her hands. "I also don't look like the kind of girl who would kick your ass, but believe me, if I didn't feel like someone got hammer-happy on me and if I wasn't tied up, I would."  
  
"You freed your feet."  
  
"Oh, wonderful. You're not one of the talkative types, are you? I don't suppose you'd undo my hands. Naw, you wouldn't. You also wouldn't let me take a shower and get me some new clothes, either. Naw... I'm a hostage. Again. Although, it was a lot better when the guy taking you hostage was an insane lunatic who claimed to love you. I probably got some four-star treatment from him. Wouldn't know, can't remember." Struggle.   
  
"You talk more than Duo."  
  
"I don't know much about Duo but I'll take it as a compliment." Ah. Headache had just arrived, and at full blast. "So, what's your name? You don't look much older than I am."  
  
"You look like you're about fourteen."  
  
"I'm almost seventeen."  
  
"I don't know how old I am."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes.   
  
Chaos decided to speak up then, -Use magic, you dope. Fire burns rope. You're facing him, he'd never know. No one's behind him. And his name is Triton. Bloom. He doesn't know that, so call him Trowa. Or Nanashi.-  
  
"No name? Great, another psycho." She looked at him. "I don't really like calling people "No-Name", so let's stick to Trowa." His eyes widened a little, but not much. She smiled at him. "Want to see a magic trick? You're gonna see it anyway. Okay. Hocus..."  
  
*Concentrate...*  
  
"Pocus..."  
  
*Gather...*  
  
"Abra..."  
  
*Control...*  
  
"Cadabra!"  
  
*Flame!* She ordered, and a small ball of black fire lit in her palm. She grinned at its cool, intense heat and let it singe the ropes. Letting it dissipate, she broke the ropes easily and showed him her free hands." See?" She said. "Magic."  
  
He just stared at her, making no comment and showing no emotion. She pushed herself up into a precarious standing position, dizziness threatening to send her back down, but she remained standing, mainly because Trowa now had a gun trained on her every moment.  
  
-You said we were trigger-happy. -  
  
*I said that you were a bunch of egotistical assholes that were energy happy. Youma don't have triggers.*  
  
"That doesn't work on me." She said coldly. "I can be poisoned, hanged, drugged, broken, killed, etc. I can't be shot. So put the gun away like a nice psycho and let's have a friendly chat. Really. I don't know why you guys are so jumpy. Even with a palace full of evil mutated creatures ready to do evil, unthinkable things to my body, I wasn't pulling a gun on anyone who so much as looked the wrong way."  
  
Silence.  
  
Slowly, Trowa put the gun away. He stood up, and Usagi was dismayed to find he was a full head taller than she. Oh, well. Height didn't really matter. There was no way there was much muscle on that frame, so unlike Mamoru he relied on brains. Harder to fight.   
  
-Mamoru was easy to outsmart and out move. Brute force gets you no-where.-  
  
*I don't want commentary. Not when I'm about to get my brains blown out. You've messed up enough-- be quiet!*  
  
-Be that way.-  
  
She smiled again when she felt Chaos recede into the corner of her mind. "Basic question: What year is it?" She asked, pulling up a chair from the edge of the room and turned it so the back was to Trowa, and then sat in it, letting her elbows and chin rest on the tall, wooden back.  
  
"Year? After Colony..." He trailed off. Eye narrowed. "Why? Don't you know?"  
  
She frowned.   
  
-You have to get out of here.-  
  
*No shit.*  
  
-Use your magic. Just something to knock him out...-  
  
*What part of "I can't remember any advanced magic" don't you get?*  
  
-I do. Okay, here's what you do...-  
  
Usagi kept babbling while Chaos instructed her how to perform the spells she needed. Trowa just stared at her, and she felt like he could tell she had a voice in her mind, a voice instructing her on how to defeat him. That stare was unnerving, but she ignored it carefully.  
  
-Okay. You'll need to concentrate. Stop babbling like a drunken broad.-  
  
*You're just a really polite guy, you know? Okay.*  
  
"--and you know of course that all gerbils and martians are evil..." She stopped talking. Trowa's impassive face was slowly getting a "this girl is fucking crazy, no wonder she was bleeding to death in the middle of a battlefield" look in his eyes.  
  
*Concentrate... gather... order... spell... push? You'll do all the complicated stuff?*  
  
-You got it. Now!-  
  
It took less than a millisecond. Usagi jumped up, focused, letting the energy mass around her, a soft blue glow, gathered it, and pushed it towards Trowa before even his star reflexes could react towards his gun or even move.  
  
Usagi stared curiously at his slumped over form.  
  
"Are you sure he's only unconscious, Chaos?" She asked aloud.   
  
-I'm positive, moon brat.- He sounded annoyed at being questioned. As he usually did-- Chaos was an arrogant being. -You've got exactly thirty minutes before he wakes up. Up your energy and haul ass, because you've got company here. The wall behind us is on the outside wall. Do what you just did and run for it.-  
  
It took a full three tries before the wall completely crumbled. Usagi sighed and ran for it as Chaos fell silent again. Once she was outside, she looked around. She'd been in a brick house that was kind of small and surrounded by woods.   
  
"I can't just leave the wall like that."  
  
Sighing, Chaos told her how to repair it. She did, and felt her exhaustion soar to a whole new level.   
  
-We'll never get clear now. Run into the forest and find a tall fir tree... there's plenty here. We need to hide. Rest. Heal. And I'm going to make you remember your magic classes if it kills me.-  
  
"In your case, one may only hope." She replied, but this time she didn't mean it. She ran for the forest as she heard a startled shout behind her. It could only mean someone had found Trowa.   
  
-That one! There!-  
  
She didn't question it. She ran to the tree and started jumping and climbing with grace and speed Haruka would have turned green with envy to see. She didn't stop until Chaos told her to, and her breath came raggedly. She quieted it quickly as she heard voices calling to each other and then none, and then a flash of color here and there.  
  
They were looking for her.  
  
"This isn't good." She muttered, watching the blonde hair of Quatre. "If they find me, they'll try to kill me. I'm just hoping none of them are superstitious."  
  
-Hey, I've always wanted to die by fire.-  
  
"Chaos, when we get out of this mess, me and you are gonna have words."  
  
-I'm quivering.-  
  
"Shut up." She said, a little louder now that Quatre had vanished. "I'm sick of hearing you. For the last seven months, you've done nothing but critizise me. I know I'm not a perfect warrior, but then, I wasn't supposed to be! I'm not the most graceful, intelligent, or whatever else thing in the world, but I'm not a complete flop. I was raised to sit on a throne and rule over a kingdom, not strap on armor and go out guns blazing."  
  
-But---  
  
"Oh, yeah. I know I was trained to fight. I know that if I'd only bother to remember, I'd be the best warrior on the planet, blah blah. I'm trained in magic by the best magi's and know more than any. Well, I don't remember and it'll take a nice blow to the head or the full force of the ginzuishou to make me remember. Amnesia's a wonderful thing. I don't want to remember. Do you know what I must have seen those final days in the Lunar Kingdom? What I saw as I died?"  
  
-You'll throw away years of painfully acquired lessons because you're too weak to handle it?!-  
  
"Yes I would!" She grabbed the locket and raised it up, balancing on the branch. "Screw this. I'm transforming and getting to civilization. Moon Eternal, Make up!" She cried.  
  
Blue and silver light flashed. If none of them had heard her furious voice, they saw the light show, and especially Heero, who'd been standing at the trunk of the tree. He looked up to see her form, void of any clothing except the dazzling lights and dancing ribbons.  
  
My friends, the stoic, emotionless, uneatable Heero Yuy was shocked. Yes. You heard me correctly.  
  
Sailor Moon leapt off the tree, which was a hundred feet or more so tall and landed perfectly on the ground, not inches from Heero. She stood up and he would have swore that he saw wings on her back as she spun around to face him.  
  
"You." She whispered, coming so close that her nose almost touched his. "Leave me be. I want to be alone-- you understand that. I fight best alone. You leave me alone and we're all happy."  
  
"But what are you?"  
  
She laughed, and it wasn't a nice laugh. "Oh, god, isn't that the billion dollar question? Would you believe me if I told you I don't know? Would you believe me if I said I know I'm not human but I'm most definitely not anything you'll find in a book? If I told you that if I got pissed off, it wouldn't matter what I was because," Her laughter was in danger of being labeled hysterical. "The whole world would be a flipping dust ball?"  
  
-I've had enough of this.-  
  
Sailor Moon stopped laughing so suddenly Heero half feared she might have died or gone into shock. But no, she was staring at him with the kind of glare that he gave himself in the mirror after a battle.   
  
"Sorry to inconvenience you, Heero Yuy." The voice wasn't right. "We'll be going now. Before this blasted girl has a breakdown for real. She's been threatening it for weeks. And yes, I share her body. My name is Chaos, hers is Usagi."  
  
*You bastard, give me my body back!* She screamed as he teleported. *I want it back! We had a deal!*  
  
-Hush. You will remember. I don't think you want to help anyone. So I'll establish an identity and scam money off whoever we can, and you'll think about what you've done.-  
  
Usagi began to repeat every single curse word she could remember. 


	3. Koto Returns!

Death, Be Not Proud...  
Underneath Society  
  
~'~  
*smacks herself* My gods, I almost wrote my name up there. The one I usually  
go by. I'm glad I caught myself, because then my secret would be out and you'd  
all know I'm actually B--  
  
*muses pops out of no where and gags authoress with a scarf* Muse #4: Oh,  
no, you don't! I've spent too much time on this without you screwing it up!  
  
Authoress: MRPHVHPHMMMM!  
  
Muse#8: *pops up next to #4* Agreed. I'll post the chapter, #5, and you keep   
her occupied, #4. And hey, #12! Don't forget to tell them that if they don't   
review, I won't let her write the next chapter!  
  
Muse#12: *throws a sulky look at #8* Who died and made you god?  
  
Muse#2: Come, come. Let's not get into another fight....  
  
Muse#7: Yeah... last time you got your ass kicked.  
  
Muse#2: *pupils dilate* I DID NOT GET MY ASS KICKED! *reverted to Zero-System   
Dorothy mode and tackles #7*  
  
Muse#9: Oh, dear....   
  
  
  
~'~  
She cursed you in hopes that one day, no matter how soon or far away,  
You might understand a little of what she'd seen, and live only for that day.  
~'~  
  
  
For once, the Gundam pilots were in the same room without one of them threatening the other. It was a remarkable event, but then, strange occurrences tend to develop other strange occurrences.   
  
Wufei looked across the table at Duo, who for once in the American's life, was serious. They were all serious.  
  
"She knew who I was." Trowa said, in his quiet voice. "She got out of her binds and knocked me unconscious." He paused, hesitating. "A beam of light just came from her hands."  
  
Heero was as shaken as anyone had ever seen him. "She said that there were two people in her body. One named Chaos and the other named Usagi. She jumped from the top of the tree-- landed on her feet-- full gravity-- not a flinch-- wearing this crazy uniform made of fire-- vanished--"  
  
Duo almost fainted. Heero Yuy was showing emotion. And of all emotions, it was frustration, and God forbid-- envy! Envy, from the perfect soldier.  
  
"So, Heero wants to be able to jump off giant trees and land on his feet." He teased. Heero glowered at him while Quatre smothered a laugh.  
  
"Well, we can't just--"  
  
"Oh yes we can!" Wufei said, before Quatre could finish. "She's the one who left. She's the one who went all psycho and multiple personality disorder. We can too leave her! It's not a mission!"  
  
Right on cue, Heero's laptop beeped. Sending a looked around, Wufei buried his face in his hands as Heero opened it.  
  
"I just had to say it..." Wufei wailed.  
  
"Professor J." Heero nodded.  
  
"Heero, I have a mission for all five of you." J raised his voice so they could all hear. "Heero, turn the screen around so you can all see." Heero did so, and J vanished, a full body picture of a beautiful young woman-- Usagi-- popped up in his lace.  
  
"This is Tsukino Usagi." J's voice said. "She is a trained warrior, but very mentally unstable. My source says that she has another deity living in her mind with her, a sacrifice she made to win a war. The fate of the world itself lies in this girl. Find her."  
  
Wufei let out a wail of dismay.  
  
"Do not harm her unless it is absolutely necessary. Her guardians are very... powerful people. Contact me as soon as you have her within custody. Do not try to restrain her, no normal bind can hold her. She's a talented sorceress. Her guardians will arrive within seconds and try to subdue her."  
  
"What do you mean, try?" Duo asked. "That chick didn't look like she could break a twig."  
  
The picture of Usagi vanished, and instead of J, a very masculine woman with short blonde hair and turquoise eyes appeared. They could see she was wearing a sailor fuku similar to the one Heero had described. "That chick could take out half the planet you stand upon with a single thought. She's unstable because of Chaos. You will find her or I'll cut off what little manhood you might have and make sure it's mutilated in ways you never thought possible."  
  
"Haruka, dear, threats are not necessary, they're just boys--" A soft, feminine voice said from somewhere off screen.  
  
"Boys!" They heard J's outraged voice. "They are trained pilots, not mere boys, Madam!"  
  
Haruka looked off screen, annoyed. "Michiru, if she isn't found..."  
  
Haruka was pulled away and a beautiful lady replaced her, looking slightly irritated.  
  
"Sorry about that." She said. "Haruka's protective of Usagi-sama."  
  
"AM NOT!"  
  
"Are too, dear, don't argue. It's not lady-like."  
  
"I AM NOT A LADY!"  
  
"Haruka, love."  
  
"I AM A SENSHI!"  
  
"Of course you are. But you're also a woman, Haruka."  
  
"Michiru..."  
  
"Oh, for Heaven's sake! Stop pouting! J, explain to them about Chaos while I go make the big baby stop pouting." Michiru stomped away. J reappeared, his face red. He kept glancing off scene, where they could hear the couple making up.  
  
Wufei's nose started to bleed.  
  
"Yes, er, well." J said, his face getting redder and redder. "Chaos is a, er, very dangerous villain type." His eyes bugged out at something off screen. "And, uhm, he's capable of total destruction of the, er, world." He looked to his right quickly. "Lady Pluto, please, make them stop that, this is a research facility, not a make out room!"  
  
They heard a low female's smirking voice reply, "I'll try. But they're kind of hard to break apart... Saturn, go break them up."  
  
J relaxed. "Okay. Chaos is a very dangerous thing. He's taken up residence in the mind of Usagi, which isn't a good thing, because if he learns how to use Usagi's powers they'll be no saving her."  
  
"Why do WE have to save her?" Heero asked, angry. Wufei scrambled for tissues.  
  
"Because if you don't, there will be nothing to save! Not to mention that there won't be anyone to fight-- you'll all be dead! That's all!" The screen bleeped out to a loud, "But MICHIRU, I DON'T WANNA WEAR A DRESS!"  
  
Sweatdrops all around.  
  
"Mission accepted." Heero's voice was a lot less confident than usual.   
  
"You heard the freaky half mental man." Duo said, clapping his hands. "Let's hop to it! Quatre's on street detail, as usual. Mainly cuz no one trusts me and he's the only social one here."  
  
"Wait." Heero, opening the files that had just gotten finished downloading. "Here's the information we have."  
  
They crowded to see, Wufei and Duo starting an elbow fight that was settled by Quatre.   
  
There were several pictures of Usagi. In some, she was wearing long white gowns and had silvery hair and looked like she was twenty some. In others, she looked like a dorky school girl. There were a few of her in different sailor fukus, including a picture of the one Heero described. There were several different aliases, and then there was a few of Chaos.  
  
Duo's mouth dropped open.  
  
"That is the most drop dead gorgeous man I have ever seen."  
  
For once, no one made a move to disagree.  
  
It was Chaos's true form. He was tall and slim, with a build that was defined by the black and scarlet outfit. His hair was the exact color of sunset, a shimmering red-gold, wavy and reaching just past his slim shoulders. His eyes were large and framed by a set of thick black lashes, shaped like almonds and were the color of midnight. His face was elfish in appearance, exotic, tantalizing. Whoever had made this guy had desire in mind.  
  
"This is the most dangerous man in the galaxy? The same guy that's sharing that chick's body?" Duo asked. "Count me in on the man hunt! I've got a gorgeous girl and a beautiful guy... think they like threesomes?"  
  
"DUO!" Wufei scrambled for tissues.  
  
"I'll search for any records. They're both geniuses, apparently." Heero said, tearing his eyes away from the screen. "Mission accepted."  
  
"Yeah. Sure... Maxwell, what are you DOING?"  
  
~"~  
  
I feel so alone,  
And I think I like this feeling.  
I can always hide in a crowd  
And stare at the ceiling.  
  
~"~  
  
  
Usagi sulked. She'd yet to convince Chaos to give her back control of her body. Of course, even she admited, not to him of course, that he was doing a helluva job. He knew how she moved and acted and then how she needed to move and act.  
  
  
*When was the last time you had a real body?* She asked, while he was standing in the grocery isle, deciding what he wanted to cook. *You must have been a lady-killer, to know how girls react.*  
  
-A while. But you forget, I've inhabited mostly women's bodies. They're allowed to watch other women without getting slapped. -  
  
He shoved a few boxes into the cart and continued, selecting foods that Usagi whined at.  
  
*Chocolate! Dumplings! Oooo, lookee at that ice cream! Come on! Why all the health stuff? I mean, can't you just taste that cake?*  
  
-You'll get out of shape.- He threw a box of rice in the cart and headed for the fruits and vegetables. -You'll eat right or earn the wrath of Chaos.-  
  
*You suck.*  
  
-Thank you. I've been told I'm actually quite good at it, too.-  
  
*ECCHI! HENTAI! BAKA!*  
  
"Well, hello!" The over-perky woman at the counter said, as Chaos picked through the carrots to find the best. "I haven't seen you around before. Did you just move here?"  
  
*Oooo... conversation! Let's see how you handle THIS!*  
  
"I'm staying with a friend." Chaos said, smiling happily. "Wow, you've got a really good selection here." She frowned slightly. "I saw the place where OZ troops had a battle with the gundams-- how many were hurt?"  
  
The woman sighed. "They're still not sure. I'd welcome you, but this isn't such a happy place anymore. I gather you're not here for pleasure?"  
  
"Is anyone?"  
  
The woman grinned as she weighed the purchase. "I'm not sure anymore." She sent Chaos a sideways glance. "Whose side are you on? Most of the people here are Ozzies."  
  
"I'm not on any side." Chaos accepted the armload of bags. "I go where I must and if I must fight then it's the first side that sucks up the most. I have no loyalties." He shifted the bags. "Do you support the rebels? Don't answer, I suppose either than or the Alliance. It doesn't matter to me. It was nice meeting you."  
  
*You really stink at conversations, Chaos.*  
  
-Please. Call me Koto. And yes, I would. But that was for information. We've officially got what we need. You, Tsukino Usagi, are about to become an OZ soldier.-  
  
*A WHAAAAT?! YOU REALLY HAVE LOST YOUR MIND! NO FUCKING WAY!*  
  
Koto only chuckled, the plan already formulating in his mind.  
  
"But first, Usagi, I'll need your help. And your ginzuishou."  
  
~'~  
  
I've never been a child, indeed, war could not allow me that simple pleasure.  
  
I've never been able to enjoy the roses or walk or play at my own leisure.  
  
But, I respect that what has happened to me, for the Fates do only as they must.  
  
Perhaps I had some small part in the playing of Destiny, so I do not think anything unjust.  
  
~'~  
  
"So... do you got all that?"  
  
*Wow... like, you had a body? But it was burnt up... and you want me to... hey, no way! What if you appear naked or something! I don't want to see you naked! What if you're really gross!?*  
  
Koto chuckled, but put on a mock speculative look. "No one has called me gross yet... stupid arrogant bastard how could you, yes, of course, but gross?"  
  
Usagi brightened up as a new thought appeared. *Hey, you'd have to let me have my body back in order to do this...*  
  
"Don't get any funny ideas, princess." Koto stretched out on the couch. They were back in their medium-sized apartment that Koto had bought with money he'd been able to hack. Usagi had been fairly sure they were caught, especially because they were both in her body.  
  
They'd not been caught yet.  
  
*Why not?*  
  
"Because I'm not giving you full control until I'm in my body. And once I'm in my body, you won't be able to destroy me."  
  
*Why not!?*  
  
"Believe me. The only way they got me before was in my sleep with an explosion big enough to blow the planet I was on into asteroid dust."  
  
*Oh.* Usagi seemed to think it over. *Alright. Anything to get you out of my head. I'd like to be able to day dream again.*  
  
Koto grinned. "Thought you'd see it my way. Are you up to it right now?"  
  
*Why wouldn't I be? I haven't had any good fights forever.*  
  
"Okay then. I'm going to give you partial control. Go for the ginzuishou and I'll guide you through, because I'm sure you haven't done anything like this."  
  
*Actually, yes, I have.* But Usagi did as she was told. Koto patiently walked her through the process because wincing and telling her to go for it.  
  
She spoke the spell and focused her energy just as he told her to, and looked away in voluntarily as the room exploded into light, just as he'd said it would.  
  
-I don't believe it... you did it....- He yelped, and then there was silence. The kind of silence and emptiness that she'd not felt in a long time.  
  
It took a moment for the light to fade. Usagi turned to stare at whatever she'd created.  
  
Her jaw dropped.  
  
"I think we need to try again." She said weakly.  
  
Koto looked his body over.  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"I want to see if this time I can make you without clothes on."  
  
His smoldering obsidian eyes flashed at her, and she felt her legs turn to jelly. "Hardy har har, Usagi. Thank you. This is exactly how I used to be."   
  
"Uh-huh... now... about those clothes..."  
  
"No way, Usagi."  
  
"Why noooooot?"  
  
"Because!"  
  
"Please?"  
  
"I'm not fighting with you about this."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
A loud pounding at the door interrupted them.  
  
"Miss... er... Miss Ikasu? Are you alright? We just had a power surge..." He cleared his throat. "Miss Ikasu?"  
  
It took Usagi a second to recognize the faux name Koto hadmade up for her. "Wha? Oh, yeah. Whatever. Sure thing. I'm fine."   
  
They waited until the man left.  
  
"I suppose we're both going to be OZ soldiers, then." Usagi said finally, convinced that Koto wouldn't even take off his scarlet jacket for her.   
  
"Yes. I'll try to get into the technical wings. With your reaction time, you're probably going to be a soldier, probably operating a doll or suit. We need to do some research and sims first. The best are picked first and move quickly through ranks." Koto paused. "And we'll e-mail the pilots from a library or something and tell them of our plans."  
  
"Sure thing." Even Usagi could see the logic in that. "Ko-chan, this is absolutely insane. But so's the rest of my life. How are you going to explain our living together?"  
  
"Well, Serenity," Koto grinned. "Considering you and I are the only ones like us, we are either brother and sister or lovers. And I think the former would be more appealing if your senshi did find us."  
  
"Who cares what they think?"  
  
"When they're threatening both our lives, you're going to care a lot about what they think. So let's prepare, okay?"  
  
Usagi pouted. "Fine. Sign me up, brother dear."  
  
Koto grinned. "We'll need new names. Yours can be..."  
  
"Why can't I give myself a name?"  
  
"Because it would be something dinky. Uhm, how about Kagami Yumeno? I will call myself Kage Yumeno."  
  
"You've got one twisted mind, Koto. So I'm Mirror Of The Dream, and you're Shadow of the Dream? I'm not going to ask."  
  
"I think it's beautiful."  
  
"Yeah, well, you're the one with the computer. Hack away. I'm finding a Rite-Aid or something and getting some hair dye and make-up. I'm pretty recognizable, you know."  
  
"Hmm." Koto, or rather, Kage, had already pulled out his laptop and began to work. "Me too. Whatever you think would be best."  
  
Usagi, or rather, Kagami, got a positively evil look on her face at this new development. "Of course, brother dear."  
  
~'~  
  
there's a place out there where fairies and  
dragons laze around the land  
and where magic saturates the air  
and where everything's fair...  
  
~'~  
  
  
  
The Lady Une looked up as the duo was escorted to her chambers. They were a remarkable pair. The girl was a head shorter than the boy, with hair the exact color of copper pulled back into some intricate knot and big, cold eyes of silver. Her stance was guarded and intimidating, and the way she walked screamed she had been trained by the best, and only that.  
  
The boy, however, had dark, almost black hair that was long, reaching just past his shoulders and loose. His eyes were exotically shaped and the color of ink. He looked comfortable in his uniform, and walked smoothly.   
  
She knew at once they were the same, but wasn't sure how. They just seemed alike, even though they were as different as night from day. They were brother and sister, and had been with OZ for a little over a month. Each had excelled in their field. The boy was a genius with anything he touched, and the girl had the potential to be a Gundam pilot in disguise.  
  
"Please, have a seat." She said, smiling softly, motioning. The boy didn't hesitate to follow orders, but the girl paused, ever so slightly, before doing the same.  
  
Une ignored the guards in the room, as did the boy. Une watched, amused, as the girl kept one eye on them and the other on her. Yes, this girl had been trained. She was a soldier, there was no doubt about it.  
  
"I assume you are Kagami and Kage Yumeno?"  
  
"Yes, Colonel."  
  
"Please, call me Lady. Lady Une." She had no idea why so many people called her Colonel-- as if she could ever do something as violent as fight!  
  
"Yes, Lady." The girl's voice, unlike her presence, was soft and almost childish, with an edge that suggested serenity.   
  
"I suppose you know you're here because of your outstanding performances. I have been told that you out-performed Zechs Marquise." Une looked at the girl, who met her stare.  
  
"He was distracted. If he had given his full attention, he would have defeated me." She said, not modestly, but just like she would state a fact.   
  
"Yes, well, but the fact is that you bested him. That is an accomplishment, even if you were in the newest Aquarius model." Une frowned. "Both of you, even though you're just children, have done well."  
  
Her eyes narrowed. Shoulders back, glasses out of pocket. Voice sharpened.  
  
"I suspect that you've had previous training, even though your backgrounds state otherwise. You move too easily."   
  
The girl smirked. That was enough. She was immediately surrounded by the eight soldiers in the room. She looked around at her captive position and laughed.  
  
"Colonel Une," She said, making an obvious effort not to sound amused. "What does it matter to you if our backgrounds are false? We fight well. We have revealed nothing to your enemies."  
  
The boy nodded. "We have been loyal to this organization. And no, we are not children. Well, she is, sort of, but I am not. And you wouldn't dare let them shoot at her. I know that we have given you an edge over the gundams. We're... inexpendable." The word made Une freeze. "Even if you could kill us, if you did kill us, you would loose the war."  
  
Kagami nodded. "Does this have to get personal, Colonel?" She asked. "If it does, I assure you, you shall loose."  
  
"How can you be so sure of that?" Zechs appeared from his hiding place. "DO you think you can defeat me?"  
  
Kage only remained seated, grinning. Kagami tilted her head to one side. "Are you familiar with urban legends, Mr. Peacecraft?" She asked.   
  
"Some."  
  
"I wouldn't suppose you would recall one of Sailor Soldiers?"  
  
"Where is this leading to?"  
  
"Oh, no where." Kagami smiled. "Yes, Zechs, I am fairly confident I can kick your ass. If I can defeat Heero Yuy, then you, my mortal comrade, should be of no challenge."  
  
"You fought Heero?"  
  
Kage spoke up. "Not really. She just stunned him enough to let her by. I was there. Don't let her brag."  
  
"Stun him? How?" Une was thirsty for any information on the pilots.  
  
"Take them out of the room," Kagami motioned to the soldiers. "and I'd be more than happy to show you."  
  
"Do you think that's wise?" Kage asked, as Zechs gave the order and left himself.  
  
"No. But this is the easier way. Any other way, and they'd start asking questions. We'd be found. And then you would die. And I don't think I could handle that. I hated you at first, Chaos, but now..." She shook her head. "I think you're growing on me."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"Oh, don't go thinking like that. I still think you're an intolerable evil bastard."  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
"I just think that now, maybe that's not so bad."  
  
Kage smiled. "Oh, really."   
  
The last of the soldiers left, reluctantly. Kagami turned to Kage, who shrugged indifferently.  
  
Kagami looked directly at Une. "Surely you know that Heero Yuy isn't the most knowledgeable when it comes to his emotions. All you have to do is get that blasted gun away and baffle him." She said it like a kindergarten should have deduced it.  
  
Unfortunately, Une was not happy. "Yes, Miss Yumeno, we had realized that. The only problem is that--" Kage pushed his beautifully colored hair out of his face in a movement that caught her eye, and she found that she could not look away. He was arrogantly ignoring her attention and threw his shoulders back in a feline move. His lean muscles rippled and her breath was caught as a flush tore through her cheeks.  
  
With a start she remembered who and where she was and sat ramrod straight, shamed to find she had been leaning in his direction like a rutty queen to a tom.  
  
Kagami laughed. "That is how we do it. None of you hu-- of you people really understand your emotions. We--" She thought fast. "We were taught to manipulate."  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kage give the slightest of nods-- an ordinary person would not have caught it.  
  
Une was not pleased with it, but she was satisfied in the 'truth' of their words. And impressed-- there were a number of pretty young creatures in her ranks and never had one of them, teases that some of them were, done that to her. She studied them for a moment more.  
  
Brother and sister? She smirked. Not with the look he's giving her. I saw that one, Yumeno. Not the kind of look you give a sister, even if she is a twin. She doesn't know-- how quaint. Definitely not brother and sister. They've been together a while, however. They will make a valuable asset. Inexpendable, she though sourly. I think I can play on his lust. Yes, this may very well be in our favor.  
  
She allowed herself a smile, and Kagami shivered.   
  
"Very well. I have an assignment at hand, a bothersome flea that has been biting for a while." She gave a quick glance to the door where Zechs had exited. "It's about Marquise..."  
  
~'~  
  
Authoress: And for those of you who have read the poetry I post under my real   
pen name, I just gave myself away, because most of the little snippets in   
between scenes was stuff I've actually wrote and some of it I've posted here.   
Under my other pen name, of course. *giggles* Do you know yet? If you do,  
bloody hell, don't go advertising it around! Just e-mail me, for the love of   
Christ, and we'll play the "you're getting warmer!" game, ne?  
  
Muse#4: GET BACK HERE AND WRITE, SLAVE!  
  
Authoress: *sweatdrops*... oh, man.... 


	4. The Snogging Of Them

Death, Be Not Proud  
Underneath Society  
~-~  
  
Muse#5: *is grinning madly* Well, she won't write a lemon. But I think I got pretty close here.  
  
Muse#7: I can't *believe* she actually listened to my bunny-ears and bat wings suggestion. *drools*.... althought, I'm not complaining....  
  
Muse#10: Yay for you people! She hasn't worked on MY story forever!   
  
Muse#4: Hahahahahaha! DO you see? The victims-- I mean readers-- reviewed faster this time! Therefore, the next chapter came out faster! It's a wonderful system! *cackles evilly*  
  
Muse#12: Stupid monkeys. I *liked* it when Usagi and Koto were fighting more.   
  
Muse#2: But now Usagi wants to snog! YAY! *goes into Zero system mode* STUPID ZECHS! WHY ARE YOU SO DAMNED HOT?! Oooh... bunnies! Yay!  
  
Muse#5: *inches away from #2* Uhm... yeah. NEXT!  
  
~'~  
  
  
  
Heero yanked open his laptop, growling. Duo was sprawled across the couch, watching him. They were both equally frustrated by their latest mission. Never had they gone so long without even a whisper of the whereabouts of the victim. And what was even worse is that they received e-mails from the pair every three days-- and each of them had been filtered and transferred and blah blah blah until he didn't know if they came from Singapore or New Bismarck.   
  
He let out a howl as the damned computer beeped. It was probably J again, nagging about finding her. He opened his account and was ready to growl and hn until the sky fell. Instead a simple text message popped up. He read it once, twice, and then motioned for Duo to get his sorry can over there.  
  
Duo began to read it aloud, his eyes wide.   
  
"Hey, Hee-chan! It's me, Usagi. Koto's busy so I get to write this. I'm supposed to inform you that we had received a mission from inside Romasfeller to kill Zechs Marquise... do you know him? Ah, what a cutie! Oh, yeah. Back to subject. Anywho, we're just going to kidnap and have hot monkey sex until Capitan Schizoid here decided to trust us completely. And then we're going to have hot monkey sex with her. Koto's yelling at me to stop saying that, that we'll be having hot monkey sex with no one. Heh. That's what *he* thinks..."  
  
He stopped and grinned. "Have I mentioned lately that I'm in love with her?"  
  
Heero glowered at him. "Yes, you have." He immediately began a trace on the e-mail. Duo rolled his eyes at the stoic soldier.   
  
"Honestly, Heero! Why do you bother?" He buried his face in the arm of the couch, but then started up as Heero let out a triumphant cry of delight, so unusually in itself that Duo was up and peering of Heero's shoulder before even asking the reason.  
  
He read the screen and frowned. Had Heero finally lost it? "This is where Colonel Une is stationed, not where they are."  
  
Heero looked irritated. "There are two references to Une in her note. Une is the only one in Oz and Romafeller with the authority to order an assassination on Zechs who she would call--"  
  
"Capitan Schizoid." Duo caught the drift. "So she must have given the direct order to them, meaning that—"  
  
"Where Une is, they are." Heero finished, looking very satisfied with himself. "So let's go."  
  
Duo was already pulling on his jacket and out the door. "Way ahead of you, man."  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Kagami grumbled as she climbed out of the mobile suit and promptly came face to face—or rather, face to chest with Zechs Marquise.   
  
"That was a low blow, Marquise. I wasn't aware you were a dirty fighter." She hated looking up at him, she hated it she hated it she hated it…   
  
He noticed the death glare and fought down a grin. He actually liked this pilot. She was young, no more than sixteen, and good at what she did. Too good, if you asked him nicely, but he didn't really mind it for some reason. She was very beautiful, too. Her hair was a dark copper color and her eyes were silver, a combination he found disturbing. For her size she didn't appear to have the strength it took to control a mobile suit, but she handled hers expertly.  
  
Even though he had made a nasty decision to go for her back, she'd managed to beat him anyway.  
  
"When I am danger of being bested by a little imp of a witch, I resort to such tactics." He retorted smoothly. Her eyes, he noted, were the same color as his hair… how remarkable…  
  
She saw the thought run through his head and started. She had been too angry, a second ago, to pay attention to his thoughts. Could Marquise be attracted to her? She blushed a little.   
  
-Oh, please. You're flattered because Mr. Hormone thinks you're good bedmeat? I thought you were madly in love with me.-  
  
Kagami scowled and looked up, where Kage leaned over the catwalk-like railing that ran level with the mobile suits' heads. *Aw, is Koto jealous? *  
  
-Never, you cozy bitch.- He sounded sour, and she smiled up at him. Point for Usagi!  
  
Zechs followed her line of sight and found the growling young man staring down at them. "That's your brother, right?"  
  
She nodded. *I was just thinking that perhaps this could be useful, Koto. It'd be a lot easier if he came with us willingly. Look into his mind and you'll see he'd welcome us both.* She smirked. *Come on down. Let's chat him up.*  
  
-Oh yeah, that should be interesting.- In spite of himself, he sounded interested anyway. He vaulted himself over the railing and landed gracefully on his feet beside Kagami. Zechs instinctively jumped back but Kagami just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Morning, Zechs." Kage surprised himself by letting his voice be warm and inviting.   
  
"Zechs, this is my brother, Kage. His bite's worse than his bark, but luckily he barks more than he bites." She smiled mysteriously. "But you really might want to watch his bite, anyway."  
  
-The only thing that keeps me from jumping you is the fact it wouldn't bother you in the slightest.-  
  
*Sorry, my dear. You corrupted me. It's your own fault. But in no way let that stop you…*  
  
Zechs was aware, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the looks that passed between the two were more than just that. Something whispered telepathy and he laughed at himself. What a stupid idea, he scolded himself. They're siblings, of course they can argue with faces. You've seen it before, Zechs, old man, and you'll see it again. Why are you so jumpy about these two? It is because you like the little one?  
  
He pushed the thoughts away immediately.  
  
Yet, somehow, five minutes later, with almost no protest, he was being led away by Kagami, who smiled at him almost shyly, and Kage, who followed, smirking like the cat who got the canary and the parakeet.  
  
~'~  
  
Zechs began to feel just a little uneasy as he was led outside the compound by the petite girl, who surprisingly was stronger than he'd thought, almost dragging him at a swift walk.  
  
He smiled, trying to hide his discomfort. It only increased as they passed the tree line and went into the dark forest as the sun set behind the mountains.   
  
The trees were everywhere, bushy firs and gigantic redwoods and leafy maples. They walked for so long, Kagami following no given path but seemingly sure of each step. Zechs thought that they'd passed the same stunted elm four times but wasn't sure, especially not the way Kage kept up a jolly banter.  
  
"So, how long have you been a pilot, Marquise?"  
  
"Ever since I was fourteen. That's why your sister is remarkable to me. She is better than I with considerably less training. She'll be beating up gundams soon." Yes, there was that damned elm again! Where in hell's name were they leading him? How could he have been allowed himself to be seduced so easily?  
  
He thought back and found he could only conjure up a memory of how their eyes were so teasing and beautiful and how their lips were so inviting and full, as though they'd never felt a kiss. He didn't remember anything else.  
  
He noted this, and his senses became more wary. What kind of devil work was this?  
  
Kage had been watching Zechs very carefully and saw his thoughts. He mentally called to Kagami and she replied she too had noticed. She changed her path and stopped leading the trio on a endless figure eight into a denser, darker part of the forest.  
  
Zechs started at the sound of a near wolf howling that his territory had been breached.   
  
-He's going to panic soon.-  
  
Kagami looked back and nodded.   
  
*I know. Why do you think I'm hurrying? I'd like to make distance in case he screams.*  
  
Kage laughed at the picture.  
  
-I know he will, yet I can't picture him screaming.-  
  
"So, where are we going?" Zechs was trying futilely to hide his growing wariness.  
  
"Silly Zechs—if we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" Kagami said brightly, as they came to a huge redwood tree. They'd been running forever, it seemed. They were at least two miles inside the forest.  
  
*This is it, right?*  
  
-You! You don't even remember—ah, never mind. Yeah, this is it. I'll open the door, you calm Paranoid Boy down.-  
  
"You're going to love it, Zechs, I know you are." She smiled to see the magick of the place was already getting to him; his lids were drowsy and trying to close. But it was only heightening his panic. His thoughts grew louder and whimpered of poisons and drugs.  
  
"What are you? Where are you taking me?" He had no idea where in the forest they were, but as the magick took hold of him all of his questions he inquired without shame. He was no longer sure of anything about the duo, of their sparkling, too-big eyes or their gorgeous hair and delicate bodies that possessed strength that was impossible. Everything he saw now only led him to doubt their humanity.  
  
"What are you?" He repeated, desperately now, as sleep demanded louder to take him.  
  
Kage finished the short chant and a large doorway appeared in the side of the tree, which was no different from any of the trees around him yet as he fell asleep, Zechs could have sworn that a shimmering glow had taken Kage, Kagami, and the tree…  
  
He awoke a little while later to the sound of arguing voices. He kept his eyes shut and listened, waiting for information. He didn't know they knew the very second he awoke, but that did not stop them from yelling at each other.  
  
"I don't care, Usagi! You are NOT having hot monkey sex with him! Or me! We have a mission to do!"  
  
"Ah, come ON, Ko-chan. You can't tell me you don't want a ménage a trios with us. You'd be lying through your teeth and you know it. Why are you so uptight? We're perfectly safe here, even if Heero and Duo are on their way. Which, by the way, that was a dirty trick you made me play on them—I love it!" Her voice was much too exuberate and excited. Zechs resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
Kage's voice was amused. "I think I liked you better when you were stupid, Usagi."  
  
Zechs fought down a start of surprise. With his eyes closed, his other senses were instinctively heightened, but it would have taken a fool to miss the tone hidden in Kage's voice. It was love, the kind of love that Zechs had forgotten existed, the utter, complete kind of love that engulfed you heart and soul and everything else that could be taken from a being. For a second he was bitterly jealous of Kagami, for having that kind of emotion directed at her, but his jealousy was overtaken by a sense of peace. It was hard to feel the existence of such a love and not feel good.  
  
Kagami sobered, as though she knew his thoughts. "That's enough of that, Zechsie. Come on, up and at 'em, and stay out of complicated affairs which you have no business prying in. Don't try to pretend, now, you're awake and you know I know it. You might as well wake up and let Ko-chan and I explain who what how and why."  
  
Zechs opened his eyes as he tried to sit up, but found he could not. He was bound down by no visible rope or shackle. It was as if the feather-softness of the bed disabled him from sitting up. His body wasn't complaining. Now that he noticed it, the bed was thick and soft and cotton, stuffed with what felt like the cushiest feathers, in violets and yellows.  
  
Kagami was perched on the edge of the bed, sitting as delicately as any refined lady would, yet she seemed to assume this pose naturally and without thought. Kage stood beside her, tall and beautiful, elegant in every breath, his hand on her shoulder as thought neither of them noticed it, as if it were the more natural and unremarkable thing in the world. How appropriate such beautiful and dangerous beings loved each other.   
  
He couldn't understand what the conflict was…  
  
"Oh, and yes. You mustn't think of us as that anymore. Truly, my name is Koto and she is Usagi. We have changed our appearances but for all sake of informality call us by our real names… not that it makes that much of a difference." Kage—no, Koto, smiled at him, but it was a smile lacking in warmth.  
  
"We will answer your questions now that you are safe. Yes, my friend, you were in danger. You see, your authority is threatening. Une ordered us to kill you. And no details about it, just do it, don't care how, et cetera. And since we don't know you, it isn't like we had any objections." Usagi was speaking in a very conversational tone of voice.  
  
The seriousness of it, however, was not lost to Zechs. "Then why don't you? Why all the trouble?"  
  
Koto sighed. "We're getting to that part. You see, we don't particularly dislike you or anything. And since we don't abide by human rules, we've decided that because of the huge role you're going to play in this and because it would be a big no-no to kill someone as beautiful as you, we're going to let you live. But that means you have to stay with us so we can protect you. Une is not a fool and there are others who want your head and aren't as nice as us."  
  
"What—"  
  
"Are we, yes, I'll answer that." Usagi said firmly. Koto shrugged and moved to an expensive-looking chair and sat down.  
  
Something in his black eyes flashed at Usagi, and she laughed. "Oh, really, you think so? I have a better idea than you do." But he had said nothing!  
  
"First question, yes, we can hear each other's thoughts, and yours, and everyone else's. It's quite convenient. And what we are can not be put into words, really. We're immortals, but not quite gods. We can do many, many things you cannot, but we can still find ourselves confused. We're not human, but we're not inhuman, either. We… we are everything, but, we are nothing."  
  
In the strangest way, Zechs understood. She didn't want to say goddess, for fear he would think her perfect. But she was, only a human goddess, capable of mistakes and emotion, and of death, both to herself and others.  
  
Then he heard a voice in his own mind. -I am surprised you understand, Human. But you do. Thank you.-  
  
Startled, Zechs looked up to find Koto staring at him. Usagi was not unaware of the exchange and smiled. She was happy that Koto was comfortable with Zechs staying here. For a while, she had been worried about the arrangements. Koto was very particular about his territory.  
  
She smiled, glad she could hide her thoughts from Koto, even if he knew she was hiding them. At times she thought that he acted as though *she* were his territory as well, and unlike as it had been with Mamoru, she didn't mind in the least if he was possessive. In fact, instead of being angry it made her feel warm and fuzzy and at times sent jolts of electricity through her like Mamoru never could.  
  
She was so lost in her slightly hentai thoughts of exactly what she was going to do to Koto that she didn't notice that a panel in the wall had lit up to a bright red.  
  
"Come on, Usagi!" Koto was up like lightning and grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her out, stepping through the wall itself like it wasn't even there.  
  
Zechs didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified that he was alone at last. But he finally got to look around at the room he was in without having to worry about decapitation.   
  
He sat up, taken back for a moment that he was no longer tied to the bed. But then he let his eyes travel around.  
  
The room was large, much larger than the tree had been, so he knew he was not inside the tree, at least. The ceiling and walls were red, the floor covered by luscious black shag carpeting. There were several pieces of beautiful antique furniture arranged professionally throughout, with large mirrors in strategic, yet classy, places. At the far end there was an entire kitchen, stove and refrigerator included, and at the other corner at the far end was a bathtub large enough to accommodate over eight people if they were friendly and deep enough that Zechs would have been up to his chest.  
  
There was a series of large, glassy panels floor-to-ceiling one the wall Koto and Usagi had disappeared into, as well as a console running half the length of the wall with all sorts of buttons, levers, and other things with strange symbols. On the other wall a huge fireplace was crackling with strange yet comforting purple flames.   
  
The bed itself was in the exact center of the wall and was colossal in its size. All of a sudden he felt very small and engulfed by the soft depths and got out of the bed, although he had to roll over twice in order to reach the edge.  
  
"Master, may I help you with anything?" Zechs jumped and spun around to find a slender young Asian woman dressed in formal kimono of gold and purple, her long raven hair cascading down her back and her green cat-eyes flashing at him. Beside her stood another young woman, also dressed in formal kimono only the colors for this one were black and red, and she was not Asian. Instead her skin had a deep, natural tan and her hair was a shining dark burgundy, the color of red wine, and her eyes were big and dark cobalt.  
  
"Yes Master, may we assist you?" The second one added.  
  
Zechs could only stare at their beauty and their sudden appearance for a moment. Then: "Who are you? What are you?"  
  
Giggling, the second girl answered. "I am Semele and she is Leda. We are creations of the Master and Mistress and have orders to do anything you command."  
  
"Anything." Leda repeated slyly. "Are you hungry? Would you like to bathe or a change of clothing? Or there are other deeds we could perform for you... there is little we can not do..."  
  
After a few more words exchanged, Zechs found himself taking them up on all three offers, although with a slight nagging feeling that he had been coerced... again...  
  
Goddamnit, what was it with these people?!  
  
~'~  
  
Usagi and Koto had slightly bigger problems than Zechs at the moment, but not big enough so that it kept Usagi from sending delightfully obscene mental images of just what Zechs might be doing with Semele and Leda and then what he might also do with them later on. The dirty looks Koto shot her way didn't stop her silent giggles.  
  
They were high in the treetops, watching Heero and Dup pick their way through the forest, Duo several feet behind Heero and being quiet for once. Usagi had a wicked idea. She silently informed Koto of her plan, who simply rolled his eyes.  
  
-I'm now completely sorry I corrupted you. You take the term 'horny teenager' to a whole new level.-  
  
*Come on, you know you want to take him home too. I think he'd make a great addition. At least let me tickle him.*  
  
-Too risky.-  
  
*I am so going to get you back. He would too have looked good in a leather thong, bat wings, and a bunny-ear headband.*  
  
-I'm not saying he wouldn't. I'm saying you can't capture him just so you can glomp him. -  
  
She straightened up, her eyes brightening. A wicked idea came into her mind, and this time she did not consult Koto, party-pooper that he was. Before Koto caught drift of her intentions, she concentrated slightly and snapped her fingers.   
  
At once, Duo felt a very light breeze and noticed that he suddenly felt a few pounds lighter and was not so hot. He looked behind him but nothing had dropped out of his pack, so he immediately looked down.  
  
It was a good thing that his shriek coincided with Usagi's laughter. It was so loud Heero spun around to kill him but instead dropped gun, pack, and jaw.   
  
Duo Maxwell, Shinigami, was completely naked except for a pair of large bat wings extending from his shoulder blades, a black leather thong, a pair of white, fuzzy bunny ears and a smile. Oh yeah. And his braid.   
  
In spite of himself Koto grinned at Usagi, who grinned back. -We're nothing but a couple of mischievous forest pixies.-  
  
*Beautiful forest pixies. And I'm not complaining.*  
  
"Wh-what happened?" Heero cursed the being who made his voice squeak and promised dark revenge upon them. "Where are your-- your clothes?" Oh, yes, someone would die. They would die long, painful, and they would be awake for every moment of it.  
  
Duo, on the other hand, wasn't all that upset about his clothes. He had been sweating anyway, and the change was really quite welcome, as was the vision of Heero Yuy with drool pooling out of the corner of his mouth.   
  
*What are you waiting for?* An little voice in his mind whispered suggestively. *He obviously likes you... spandex really doesn't hide much...*  
  
Automatically Duo's eyes traveled downwards on Heero's young, strong body, and his cheeks flamed. But the blush quickly faded and Duo dropped his pack and tackled the perfect soldier.  
  
For once, Heero voiced no objection.  
  
~'~  
  
  
Muse#1: You know, you really need to work on LLB, Authoress-san.  
  
Authoress: I'd love to. Considering this is a story I've had on the backburner since way before I:NSN. And that's a long time, you know.   
  
Muse: 13: Perhaps you shouldn't have started posting this.  
  
Authoress: *shrugs* No one was reviewing my really bad poetry. I had to trap reviewers *somehow*.  
  
Muse#4: HEY! GET OVER HERE AND WRITE!  
  
Muse#10: Ha! Not on YOUR story, Doro-baka! She's going to write on MINE!  
  
Authoress: Now, chill you two! Or I'll work on my Mulan fic and you can both for to hell!  
  
Muse#2: *snickers* 


	5. A Senshi's Anger

Dead, Be Not Proud...  
Chapter Five  
~-~  
  
Oi! Guess what? *giggles* Someone found me out! This chapter is dedicated to that person. *grin*  
  
~'~  
  
Usagi danced on the cloud tops, giggling like mad. Her dark red-gold hair flew out like a curtain of hammered gold, and her eyes flashed becomingly.  
  
Koto watched her, hovering just above a fluffy cumulus cloud.   
  
-I can't believe I love her.-  
  
His thoughts were incredulous and perhaps to some observers they sounded self-loathing. But in all the hundreds of thousands of years, he had never loved anyone but himself. He had rather delighted in destroying whole planets and reducing the most powerful creatures to a pile of sniveling, begging piles of flesh and tears. But all the months he had spent arguing with Usagi and mocking her natural innocence, something had changed. It had happened so subtly he hadn't noticed until he'd returned to his own body. Once separated from her he was forced to realize that he missed her.  
  
He missed her. Oh, gods, how he did miss her. Inside her mind was a warmth and cheeriness that he desired, a certain aura that enveloped him as part of her even if it knew he was a loathed enemy. Usagi's soul was a good soul, the purest one he'd ever seen. It didn't understand evil, all it knew was that a brother was a brother was a brother and everything that it could make a brother was a brother. Usagi could love the snake that bit her.  
  
The Chaos that bit her.   
  
-How strange, that I should fall in love with her. She's... she's... so perfect. -  
  
*Not really, love. If you think about, we're delightful together. Ultimate corruption with purity? I couldn't have planned it better myself.*  
  
Koto flushed at the realization that he had not shielded his thoughts from her. He chanced a look over to her and found her perched atop a cotton-candy mound, looking at him curiously, her elbows on her knees and her chin resting in her palms. The absolute picture of beauty, he thought.  
  
*Thank you, my darling. I just wish you'd give up on your fears of my senshi cutting off your chaoshood and show me exactly what you mean about love.* The look in her eyes wasn't mischievous or lustful, but simply serene and longing, the kind of look that explained the awe and reverence of which the senshi spoke of Neo Queen Serenity.  
  
-I watched those memories, you know. I'm insanely jealous of King Endymion.-  
  
She grinned.* You don't have to be.*  
  
Koto laughed at her and was about to reply when a surge of energy attacked their senses. Usagi jumped violently and Koto nearly fell. They steadied themselves and looked at each other in horror. \  
  
"They couldn't have..." Koto was stunned, abashed in his underestimate of his former opponents.   
  
Usagi only shook her head and looked at him grimly. "Uh-uh. You forgot that the outer senshi are indeed quite formidable and have the assistance of Mistress Pluto at their side, the only senshi with the power to open gateways into other dimensions. They must have included her help. I'm not surprised-- her powers do not extend to the playing of this universe or my mind. For all she knows you are a terrible demon."  
  
He arched an eyebrow at her and quirked a half-smile. "But I am, my dear."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself." Usagi grabbed his arm and concentrated quickly. In a second they disappeared, leaving the cloudland and reappearing in front of their secret hideaway, the giant redwood. Koto reached over to the tree and keyed in a special series of buttons that opened the door to subspace and the beautiful rooms that they'd hidden Zechs Marquise in.  
  
"We have to hurry. Mercury's computer will trace us here if we don't." Koto rushed inside and began to work furiously at the console panels. Usagi followed him with a wry smile and observed the scene before her.   
  
Leda was climbing out of bed and Semele giggled, snuggled up against the pillowed. Both were wearing only a smile while Zechs rushed to put his pants back on, hopping around madly with a blood-red face. Usagi giggled herself when he fell flat on his face, his hair splaying across the thick black carpeting, creating a lovely contrast.  
  
Zechs didn't really care about that at the moment. Really, he didn't.  
  
Leda took his arm and with surprising strength-- well, not so to him, as he had had a full demonstration earlier-- helped him to his feet, his pants half-on and around his ankles.   
  
"It's very alright, Master Zechs." She murmured to him.   
  
Usagi nodded. "Yes, it is. Zechs, do you honestly believe that I would have left you alone with these two nymphomaniacs and not have expected them to have their own way with you?" She giggled. "I'll have to watch the tapes later. Semele knows some mean tricks that are fun to watch."  
  
Zechs's face darkened to a brilliant purple. "There was a camera?" His voice was a funny squawking hoarseness that made Usagi bit through her lip to keep from exploding.   
  
"Just kidding, Zechs." She managed to choke out.  
  
But humor was cut short when Koto turned around. -They managed to get a bit of trace on us. Not a good one because I caught it and cut it short, but they're in the right country. It could take them weeks to get a good description of us, but we may have a problem.-  
  
Zechs knew something was fatally wrong by the way all the color left Usagi's face and into her eyes entered certain dead look, as though her soul had been ripped out.  
  
*We-- we will have trouble. You-- you don't know what the outers can be like. You don't know how contagious it is. If-- if it had been them looking over the entire planet, moon, and colonies, perhaps it might-- it might be different. But they'll find us, or the pilots. And we led the pilots right to us. Oh, oh. I think I might cry....*  
  
Her face did look it. Koto felt his heart break at the sight of her quivering lip, and wondered at himself for it, but not as much as he did a second later.   
  
-You watch, Usa. It'll be fine. You are their princess, and you can explain it to them. Look what you are now! With your silver locks and gray eyes, you are no longer their princess but their queen!- He felt a strength and warmth in his tone that surprised him but surprised her more. Some of the color returned to her face.   
  
*Yes, yes, of course. You're right.* But her eyes said otherwise.  
  
"Warning. Warning. Trace Big approaching Sector Zero Seven Nine Five Three. Requesting permission to delete. Danger. Trace Bug entering Sector." The computer's monotone female voice resonated through the rooms, and Semele and Leda jumped up immediately, their clothing reappearing on their bodies with magic. They disappeared into a door that also seemed to appear in the wall and disappeared after them.  
  
Zechs calmly pulled on his pants, trying to control his blush. Koto turned back to the keyboards and hit a few keys with stabbing, jerking motions.   
  
"Trace Bug Captured. Scanning for information. Bug is product of Mercurian Computer, model unknown. Purpose: Find Princess Serenity aura type one. Also find Chaos, aura type unknown. Data requested: location and coordinates. Miscellaneous data also requested: condition of Princess Serenity and of Chaos. That is all."  
  
"Ah, ain't that sweet of them, Ko-chan? They're worried about you." Usagi managed a slight grin and moved to lean on his shoulder while he worked, his hands now flying gracefully over the keyboards.  
  
"Only so they can torture me." Koto said grimly. Truly, he wasn't afraid of the sailor senshi; he'd bested stronger than them. But killing them would make Usagi hate him, and that was a dark prospect now. He didn't know what to do, other than to keep Mercury from figuring out how to find them.  
  
*Too late, my love. She's already found a way, I know it. They'll be here soon.* She sounded resigned, and sad, two qualities he was stunned to see in her. Zechs moved away silently and carefully as she sat down weakly on the edge of the gracious bed and buried her face in her hands. Both men were left in shocked silence as her shoulders began to quiver. Even though she made not a sound, they both knew she cried silent tears.  
  
-Koi-sama, what is wrong?- Koto tried to ask, but found she had shut her mind to him. He was hurt now, hurt more than perhaps he should have been, and worried. He'd spent the better part of a year exploring her mind and knew that she must be especially emotional to do this. She'd never cry in front of Zechs, let alone Koto himself.  
  
He looked to Zechs, and saw with relief the man would not mock Usagi or say anything that could send her into a rage or make her flee, as he instinctively knew she was apt to do in that moment.  
  
"Come," He said to Zechs in a low voice. "You must help me barricade this place quickly. We must keep the senshi out until Usagi has collected herself."  
  
Zechs followed without a word, but as soon as they had passed through another invisible archway in the wall, out of earshot of the moon senshi, he spoke. "I know that I owe the both of you a great deal, but I think I deserve to know what is going on to make the boldest warrior I have ever met cry in desperation. If I may be frank with you, it's scaring me half to death."  
  
Koto did not laugh. Instead he led Zechs down a set of stairs in a tight, wooden corridor just wide enough for them to walk side by side and ending a bit of a ways forward at a huge ornamental gateway with the phases of the moon inscribed at the top in some type of silver stone.  
  
"There are several great warriors looking for her. They think I am an evil entity and have brainwashed her or kidnapped her. Which, they do not care, they merely want to see me dead in several different painful ways. She doesn't want them to find us. She's happy here. You see, we're actually from a world very different from this one. We were sent here by a demon, at the same moment they discovered that I was part of her. And somewhere along the way, she started to love me and I started to love her. It's as easy and as complicated as that." He paused to shout a spell that covered the gates with a shimmering violet glitter.  
  
"Let's see Madame Pluto get through that." He muttered, and then walled directly left, where another door opened into a corridor identical to the one they'd just left.  
  
"Can't you explain?" Zechs knew it was a stupid question but he felt urged to ask.   
  
Koto snorted. Very ungraceful. "Ha! The inner senshi might, I repeat, might listen, but the outer senshi would rip me apart and then ask me, hey, you're evil, right?" He rolled his eyes and blasted the same spell at a double set of gates. They turned right this time. "The only way is for Usagi to do her bloody best to pull rank on them. I..." His demeanor fell, and his shoulders slumped. Instead of looking like an unworldly elfish king, he looked very much like a lost little boy.   
  
"I just don't know." He whispered. "I've... I've never felt like this for anyone before, not ever." His voice was barely above a whisper and he put out one hand to support himself, for he suddenly felt weak. His voice was choking up, and Zechs could only stare, taken aback by the sudden change.   
  
"I don't understand it. I have lived for thousands of years and never felt so much in all the time as she makes me feel with one dazzling smile. I want to lay down my life at her feet and if she were to only look at me with a comrade's eye I feel as though that would be much more than I should expect. But she loves me! Do you know how it is, to love, and then to be loved? It is the most wonderful thing! It as if nothing could ever be wrong again, as though the fates themselves love you. It's pain but it's not; it's completely beyond description. I want to laugh and cry and dance and do so many things at once. She makes me feel pure, innocent, and complete. Like I've lived all those millennia just for this.  
  
"And now... all of it... it's in danger. I know how Romeo felt. I mocked him then, in her class, but I know now what he felt to make him drink his poison. The planet-- how dare it spin at a moment such as this?" The last words were a sob, and a glimmer of wetness dropping onto the wood-color floor astonished Zechs.   
  
Koto-- was crying? It was more perturbing than seeing Usagi cry.   
  
No, no, it was only one tear, the first tear Koto had ever shed in his life. He watched it fall with fascination and wondered almost idly what it could mean.   
  
But he didn't have the time to listen to the answer. A pounding at the gates ahead of them, a gate Koto had not sealed yet, interrupted and made both men start.  
  
"Oh, shit--" Koto started on a strong string of oaths. He stopped himself as the gate began to give. "Quick, we need to go!" He grabbed Zechs by the forearm and dragged him through a door in the wall and sealed it behind them. One more door and they were back inside the room. Usagi had left the bed and stood at a console, watching the steady streams of numbers in a language Zechs did not recognize.  
  
"They've not managed to get in yet. They're using force, the fools. I think Uranus is at the helm of that one. They've split up into three groups: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Luna; Uranus, Mamoru, and Jupiter; and Mars, Neptune, Pluto, and Artemis. Mercury is making the most headway. If it weren't for you blocking the main ways, she would have been here by now. It seems as though they've split because of a difference of opinion."  
  
Koto knew the woman here. It was the warrior he spoke to. Usagi had recessed into herself and had let her cold, tactical side take over. She could not handle this as herself anymore.  
  
"Yes, it would seem as such." He watched the characters for a moment. "Mercury is here." He said aloud, mainly for Zechs' benefit.  
  
"I will receive her. Both of you, over there." She motioned to the far corner of the room and closed her eyes. Zechs couldn't help it; he gasped.  
  
Her hair lifted itself up and became a brilliant silver in color, becoming longer and twisting into two round odango. Her clothes vanished, leaving her nude for the slightest second, and then a gown of beautiful ivory silk, smooth and regal, wrapped around her body. Wings erupted from her shoulders, beautiful, tinted gossamer. The final touches were a single golden crown nestled against her silver-white locks and a crescent moon, golden-silver, upon her brow.  
  
"Neo Queen Serenity." Koto said to Zechs, once they were out of line of sight to the main entrance to the door. "Never cross her. For all her beauty she is the most formidable woman you will ever come across. In my strongest hour I could not best her mother and she is a world more powerful than her mother ever was."  
  
"Alert. Alert. Four humanoid presences are at Entrance Zero Four Zero One. Identification, processing. Identified as Sailors Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and the Mauian Luna. Also known as Mizuno Ami, also known as--"  
  
"Computer?" Neo Queen Serenity inquired, making her way to the entrance.  
  
"Yes, your majesty?" Computer replied, waiting.   
  
"It would please me greatly if you wouldn't talk anymore unless another group of senshi approach." Her voice was diplomatic, revealing none of her irritation.  
  
"Affirmative, Your Majesty." The computer promptly shut up as Usagi opened the gates.  
  
Three tall senshi and one furious neko-chan all opened their mouths to speak but seemingly forgot how to when met with the vision of Neo Queen Serenity in full regalia.   
  
"Please, come in." She said, in a warm voice that soothed their anger. "I've expected you. You might as well know how all your energy attacks are useless here, and dare you attack physically I shall be forced to stop you." She stood aside to let them inside. "Be kind to your host, no matter his face."  
  
Saturn entered without another thought, yet her glaive still in hand. Mercury did so after only a second glance up at Serenity's face, cool and serene. Luna followed the quieter senshi. Only Venus hesitated.  
  
"Usagi-chan, are you brainwashed?" She asked softly, not noticing the absurdity of her inquiry. She only stared evenly into her queen's eyes, waiting for an answer.  
  
Serenity cracked a small grin. "When was I ever not, Mina-chan?"  
  
"Oh, Usagi-chan!" Venus flew into Serenity's arm and hugged her. "I knew that you weren't evil." She sobbed into the soft silver hair smelling of jasmine and something smoky and mysterious. "I just knew it wasn't possible."  
  
"Oh, Minako..." Serenity murmured back. "I thought you, of all people, knew that there is so such thing as absolute evil or good. I'm a tiny bit evil, of course. But that's what's fun in the world." She flipped Minako a maniacal smirk and they both smiled. Serenity shut the gates and locked them with a spell.   
  
-My dearest lady, I will not cower before these warriors.- Koto broke through the shield-like aura around the queen and spoke boldly into her mind. -They cannot harm me here, and I think they will listen.-  
  
*Why can't this be easier? She sighed. I feel so afraid. Of them. Of them all.*  
  
-Don't be foolish. Feel it, they love you. They will listen, you see! And they'll understand. Everyone knows a forbidden love, and they will empathize. And dammit, woman, you're the one who made me love you! You're not giving up now!-  
  
She smiled sadly at him. *I think they will. Beware of Luna, she has sharp teeth and claws.*  
  
Luna had been watching the two with dark, suspicious eyes. ^I will have you both know I can hear all you say. So yes, I will listen, no, I will not bite, and you'd better start talking--- NOW!^ But something was softer in her eyes, after hearing Koto's words. Love, Luna thought to herself, quizzically. How very fitting, she decided. Something within her mind whispered that this was right.   
  
Koto moved forward, leaving Zechs to watch. "Please, have a seat." Three chairs grew form the floor, big comfortable poofs of softness that hovered above the floor. "Luna-sama, feel free to sit on the bed, or I can serve up another injunji chair right away."  
  
"The bed will be fine." Luna replied curtly, even though every gesture Koto made forced Luna to like him even more. Chaos or no, someone had raised this man well. He was quite likable, once you got over the teensy fact he was responsible for the destruction of tens of hundreds of galaxies. She jumped up onto the bed and found it so soft she immediately sank into it. But she did not feel smothered at all. In fact it was quite comfortable.  
  
"Is that Chaos?" Saturn giggled. "I like your taste in men, Neo Queen Serenity-sama." She had a childlike maturity to her that was baffling. She was ready and willing to follow Her Queen to the ends of time to do deplorable things if ordered. She loved Usagi and respected Serenity. Whatever the princess did was fine by her.   
  
Mercury eyed them both warily. She knew not to trust them but there seemed to be no threat here, and Luna, after the weird exchange of looks and Serenity turning bright purple earlier, seemed to be okay with the fact that Koto and Serenity seemed close. But this was her queen-- how could she question them?  
  
Venus had no such reservations. She was openly cautious of Koto and completely comfortable with Serenity. She could feel the growing bond of love between them, and to her ultimate shock it was strongest on Koto's side. And it was no tainted love, but something as pure as she had never seen before. It wasn't a love of lust, as Mamoru's had indeed mostly been, but a love of love. She'd never imagined anything like it.  
  
Serenity saw her probing into the bond and smiled despite herself. Yes, this would be interesting.   
  
"Would any of you care to explain why you are working as individuals?" She asked them, after they'd acquainted themselves visually. She could see they were all interested in poor Zechs, but deterred their attention.   
  
It was Mercury who flushed. "We... we argued about the best way to rescue you. We four agreed it was best to talk. Uranus thought best to attack. The others aren't sure what to do, but know we're both wrong." Mercury sighed. "And not that I truly blame them-- you've been gone for nine months, Usagi!"  
  
Saturn picked it up in her strange, gloomy voice. "We have been falling apart. You were our connecting factor, and we never knew it. But I can see you now love him, instead of the conflict I saw before. I thought that the two of you would like each other better." She smiled at everyone's dumbfounded expression. "What? Did you think me blind?" It was so weird out of her little-girl body.  
  
"Yes." Koto answered her bluntly. "It seems I've underestimated all of you greatly. I apologize." His eyes, the color of broken promises, were honest in this.   
  
Saturn waved it off. Her eyes, old in her face, held something akin to trust in them. "I know more of you than you think, Koto." She spoke his name even though neither Serenity nor he had given it to her.   
  
Koto smiled at her. "Yes, Milady, I see it now. How foolish of me not to know my own sister." He took her gloved hand and kissed it gently. Venus couldn't help it; she swooned.   
  
"Ara, Usagi-chan, you are so lucky. He's handsome, evil, and utterly a gentleman. If you're ever tired of him, I'll be perfectly glad to keep him for a while. I'm almost jealous he loves you."  
  
Mercury started. "Wha?" She asked violently. "Love? Who loves who? What? What is going on here? Sister?" She looked bewildered. "What?" She repeated helplessly. Her big blue eyes took in Koto, who still held Saturn's hand, and Luna, who was just staring at Koto with an expression of-- warmth?!-- and Serenity, her queen, near tears.  
  
It was not Serenity, nor Koto, nor Saturn, nor even Venus that answered her. It was Luna, speaking in a voice that Mercury remembered Luna only using twice before. It was a voice that was completely placid and serene, free of worry and stress. "They once said that true love never could be, Sailor Mercury, my Ami-chan. And maybe this was so. Yet, if there is such a thing, you witness it now, Mizuno." Her voice was soft and reverent and her eyes shimmered with youth. "Never doubt this."  
  
*Happy to see you approve.*  
  
^Anyone but Endymion, my dear.^  
  
-I hate the guy too, but really, Luna-sama?- Koto sounded amused, and turned towards Luna, a hint of a smile on his lips.   
  
^Chaos-san,^ Luna said reproachfully, but not at him, ^Mamoru is pigheaded and can be very rude and weak. And his treatment of Usagi at times has been quite appalling. I will never forgive him for some of the things he has done and said. I know very well how both his mind and the dark kingdom words, and at heart sometimes I think he is nothing more than a two-faced, yellow coward.^  
  
Serenity gasped. *Luna! How can you say such things? Mamoru had no control--*  
  
Luna glared at the queen crossly. ^The brainwashing techniques that Beryl used required the consent of the victim, Usagi. And the way he has betrayed and treated you is beyond any excuse. ^  
  
Serenity frowned and arched an eyebrow at her guardian. *Hm... there are things you need to tell me, neko-chan, but later.*  
  
She turned to Venus and Mercury and was about to explain further, when the computer's voice interrupted timidly.  
  
"Sorry, Your Majesty, but there are four more senshi nearing the entrance. Mars, Pluto, and Neptune, plus Artemis the Mauian."  
  
"Let them pass, unarmed." Serenity ordered. "And inform Mars that if she dares bring those scrolls hither I shall tie her up and throw her into a river."  
  
There was only a half-second's delay when Mars came bursting through the doors, her violet eyes flashing. "Usagi! Usagi-chan, watch out for Mamoru! He's furious wi..." The words died on her lips, and her eyes traveled from Serenity to Koto and she broke out into the biggest smile that anyone had ever seen her with.   
  
"Oh." She said, still smiling. "I see that you're fine. I've been watching, in my fire. You let me see you. Thank you." She laughed and hugged her queen. "I was so worried! I'm going to kill you! I already knew Chaos was within you! Why did you go and get killed for? Oh, Odango Atama, you are so dead!"  
  
-You let her watch us?- Koto was intrigued.  
  
Usagi looked abashed. *Actually, I forgot all about that blasted fire... and Neptune's mirror... but don't tell them that!*  
  
"Happy to see you too." She looked over Mars' shoulder at Pluto and Neptune, and Artemis. "I guess you guys knew, too, right?"  
  
Neptune waved her mirror and nodded, and Pluto smiled a mysterious smile.   
  
"My queen, I always knew. And Uranus and the rest have just breached the door. They are the ones you will have trouble with."  
  
Koto looked up. He was surprised none of them had attacked him yet. "I could distract Jupiter." He suggested helpfully. Mars remembered he was there and spun towards him angrily. Oh, boy. She began stepping towards him, accenting every words by another harsh step, until her finger poked into his chest.   
  
"Now listen, you overgrown worm," Thunk! Owowowowow! Hard chest hard chest! Pain through favorite finger! Bastard! "I'll put up with you because she likes you, but one wrong move and before you get to me I'll make sure a certain appendage of yours is roasted a nice, charred black." Her eyes glowered with a fire that made Koto wonder if he should be afraid of this one.   
  
He opened his mouth to assure her that he would not make a wrong move, but she continued holding up a hand to silence him.   
  
"Not yet, Chaos. I'm not through yet." She took a deep breath and sent a quick glance to Serenity, who took it in impassively. "I know you've done some really evil things, but I also know that if Serenity loves you-- and the kind of love I'm talking about isn't child's play-- you're not evil inside. She must have found something pretty special inside you to forgive you for everything you've done, so even though I really don't want to, I'll put up with you. Just because Usagi thinks you're hot enough to drop Mamoru for you, and because you really are handsome, and because you haven't killed any of us again yet."  
  
That was the end. She looked around to find everyone staring at her as though she'd grown another head and blushed, looking at the suddenly fascinating carpet.   
  
But Koto was not angry. "That was a lovely speech, Sailor Mars-san. I am sure it will be wrote done into a history book one day as "Mars-sama Approving of Chaos". But until then, accept my apology." He bowed slightly to her, and she looked very confused. Serenity bit down hard on her lip to keep her laughter in.  
  
*Ko-chan, stop flirting with my senshi!*  
  
-Show me another way to win their favor and I will, my moon lily. -  
  
~-~  
  
  
  
While Koto was trying to reconcile with the senshi present in the mini fortress, three very frustrated senshi stood in front of an archaic set of marble gates, each angrier than the next. There were several scorch marks on the once unblemished stone, evidence of several high-power ki attacks each strong enough to blow up a very large city. But that was the only evidence. There was not a dent or even a scratch in the gate.  
  
"That's it! What the hell is this thing made of, anyway?!" Jupiter exploded, launching a very physical assault on the towering doors, bruising her knees and knuckles and not really feeling the sharp jolts of pain. She hit it over and over and finally had to give up, growling and nursing her left hand.  
  
"Oh, that's the way." Uranus snapped at her, still inspecting the nick that the space sword had acquired only seconds before. "Injure yourself so that when we do find Chaos you can't fight." She ran her fingers over the chipped place and glowered.  
  
"Excuuuuse me!" Jupiter had had just about enough of Uranus's bad mood. "I didn't realize we had a bloody genius in our midst! Let's see you open the damned thing!" She advanced a step towards the senshi no kaze and was about to take another when Tuxedo Kamen came between them. His hat was gone and his suit mussed, but he had a thoughtful look on his face.  
  
"Let's not fight amongst ourselves just yet." He said calmly. He pointed one elegantly gloved hand at the stubborn gate. "You're Usagi. What do you do to keep three aggressive, revenge-minded senshi from getting to you?"  
  
Both Uranus and Jupiter stared at him stupidly, eyebrows raised.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen chuckled and walked up to the impressive marble work and laid his palm flat against it, fingers outstretched.  
  
"You make it so they can't get through in anger." He stated simply, before concentrating hard on the stone against his hand. It suddenly felt warm and alive under his fingers. "Alright, Usako." He said, in a tight voice. "We'll talk."  
  
All three jumped violently when Usagi's solemn, beautiful voice came from the gate. "Oh, will you, Mamoru-san? I can see your mind now, don't forget it. A clever plan, Prince, but a foolhardy one. You underestimate me, and Chaos. And you assume I am under his control. Foolish, foolish. The other senshi are here, and we have talked. They understand. They will stand behind me. Even Luna and Artemis agree. I shall let your enter, but your powers will be useless and your subspace pockets sealed away. No well-placed roses, Tux."   
  
He growled in anger and went to punch the stone, but at the precise second his fist would have collided with the barrier, it vanished and he fell through, unable to regain his balance in time and making a very ungraceful nose-dive into soft, black carpeting.  
  
Jupiter giggled, but then noticed the room that the gate had opened into. Her fellow senshi were looking back at them, each tensed and waiting. Her eyes traveled over the room's occupants senshi by senshi, over the two cats and the strange, blonde man in the corner with a little Japanese maiden on his arm. And finally, standing beside a huge computer console that even Mercury would have trouble deciphering, stood little Tsukino Usagi, in her old Juuban High uniform and blonde pigtails. Had it not been for the silver threads weaved through the gold locks and the play of gray in the girl's eyes, she would have said that this was her Usagi, the one that had been before Galaxia.  
  
And very, very slowly, she looked at the man standing behind her friend.  
  
He was only a little taller than the golden child. His hair what caught her eyes first, and it was beautiful, the color of the very last rosy rays of sunset, long and thick. His face was lean and of delicate make, almost doll-like, with a generous, almost feminine mouth and big cat-like eyes that were dark and mystifying. He wore a pair of black pants and a black button up shirt over a body that was fit and agile.  
  
She hated to admit it, but they contrasted beautifully. It was a picture of power and deceptive strength, one that even she respected.   
  
She had heard them all say she was the most loyal to Serenity a lifetime ago. She felt that tug now, and knew she couldn't do this. Her eyes found the floor and she sighed, the fight leaving her body.   
  
"Alright." She said, grudgedly. "I'll live with it."  
  
Uranus, however, had no such reservation. She knew her duty, and it was to protect the dignity of the solar system. Her loyalties to the princess were second priority. "You may, but I won't!" With a blur of gold and blue she rushed Chaos.  
  
"No, Haruka." Usagi raised one palm and Haruka froze in mid-leap, suspended in air and looking furious. "You will not attack. I am your queen. And look-- do you think he would still live if any here had a good reason to kill him?"  
  
Mercury flushed. "We do have a good reason, Usagi-chan. But we don't want to. He's cute." Her red face grew even more so and she buried her face in her hands.   
  
Venus looked at her suspiciously. "I was about to say that. Are you able to read minds too, Ami-chan?" She giggled slightly. Then, her face grew solemn and she looked up at Uranus, ignoring how absurd the senshi looked. "Uranus-san, I would not allow anyone whom I thought might harm the princess live. You know that. But I can see something inside Koto-san that I respect. That I feel I can trust. Even Rei-chan agrees with me, and you know he could not hide an evil aura from her."  
  
Mars opened her mouth to protest but saw the wavering look on Uranus's face and wisely shut it. If the senshi of wind believed in her that much, who was she to argue? Anything to keep from turning to cinders in a great, big, Space Sword Blaster....  
  
Still, Koto did not release Uranus. He could see the angry thoughts swarming in her mind. He shot a look to Usagi who sighed and stepped forward. Uranus struggled to get free but Usagi came closer until she could touch Uranus. She gently laid one moon-pale palm flat against Uranus's forehead.  
  
"Haruka, you will not stop until you understand. I know it." She whispered, closing her sad eyes. "I am so sorry..."  
  
Sorry for what, Uranus began to sneer, but before she could even make the first syllable, she knew why. With a scream the most quicksilver bolts of pain shot through her body. Neptune stepped forward, ready to protest, but Saturn's hand kept her back.  
  
"No." Saturn said, in a commanding voice she rarely ever used. "Usagi is showing her memories of what has happened. It only hurts at first. Watch."  
  
Uranus fell limp, her eyes closed. Usagi began to glow with an ever so slight aura and as she did, Uranus's aura lit up as well, a lulling blue.  
  
Slowly, Usagi fed her memories into the woman, letting her catch glimpse of each one before showing her another. Uranus watched in silence, wincing only twice. The whole thing took all of twenty seconds. When the light had died, Usagi allowed Uranus to stand up.   
  
Everyone waited with bated breath for the tall woman to say something. She did not. She stared down at Usagi with clouded, indecipherable eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she nodded, a slowly, bowing of her head. She knelt, a hint of a smile on her lips.  
  
"My queen, I won't question you on this. If you trust him, then I will bear him. But I don't have to like him." She added, deadpan. Usagi pulled her to her feet, giggling.   
  
"That's all I really ask. I think you'll like Koto, Haruka."  
  
-Am I the only one here breathing a BIG sigh of relief?- Some of the color had returned to Koto's face.  
  
Luna shot him a sour look, and Usagi turned to shake her head *Shut up, Forest Sprite. You're still not forgiven.*  
  
His jaw dropped open indignantly and he glared at her. -What did I do?- The tone of the words was bewildered. -Remember? I'm the one everyone here wanted to kill! I'm the innocent, abused victim here! -  
  
She rolled her eyes. *Oh, please. Sing me another.*  
  
Michiru's eyes traveled back and forth between the pair. She, like Rei, couldn't hear them when they spoke like that but there was an irritating little buzz in the back of her mind that told her they were. She could catch the emotional drift of it, though, and smiled. Lover's spat, she thought, grinning.  
  
Rei saw her grin. "Funny, isn't it?" She asked, distracting the senshi's attention from the couple and diverting it to her and Michiru. "They do that a lot."  
  
"Doing what?" Jupiter asked, interested.   
  
Venus smiled mischievously. "They can communicate telepathically. Luna and Artemis can hear them, can't you?" She hugged the white cat until it turned blue. Saturn leapt to the cat's rescue and while all the other senshi watched the wrestling match in delight, Tuxedo Kamen was glaring daggers at Koto as he waved his arms, gesturing wildly at Usagi, who stood in an incredulous posture, her hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised.  
  
It only made him more furious, and his hand inched towards his cane. It was a completely physical weapon... and he didn't care what anyone said, there was no way elf-boy was strong enough to defeat him. His rage was clouding into his mind, forcing all other thoughts out until the one of Koto bleeding to death was looking very tempting. Something inside him snapped as Usagi laughed and reached up to stroke Koto's cheek softly.  
  
The next thing Mamoru knew he was in midair, silently screaming, the sharp edge of his cane outstretched and aimed directly for Koto's throat.  
  
"That's not polite, Mamoru!" Luna screeched, and dove for his head. Tuxedo Kamen screamed as razor-like claws were dragged down his face. At the same instant, the staff of Saturn's glaive game up, caught him in the stomach, and threw him to the floor. Koto had pushed Usagi behind him, and opened his mouth to say something, but Rei beat him to it.  
  
"Mamoru, never try that again. Or I will be the one to kill you. Don't you see? You could never be Usagi's equal. Neither can Koto, but at least he comes close. She loves him! If you can't accept that, perhaps you don't belong here anymore."  
  
Mamoru gaped at her, not wanting to fully comprehend the extent of her statement. But Rei only stared back coolly, daring him to challenge her.  
  
Finally, his shoulders slumped.  
  
Usagi smiled and pushed past her senshi to hug him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mamoru-chan. I know you don't understand. But you will. And I'll always love you, you know. Just.... perhaps not in the way you want me to." She whispered.   
  
Jupiter turned to Koto. "You do know that if you ever lay a hand on her we'll find a way to kill you, right?"  
  
Koto nodded. -For some reason, I think they would find a way.-  
  
Usagi raised her eyebrows at him. *You forget-- they would love to. After all, you *did* kill them all, and you *did* try to kill me, and you *did*--*  
  
-If I have to snog you in front of your temperamental ex boyfriend to make you cease making me feel guilty, I will, love. Watch me.- He flashed her a smile that made half the senshi in the room swoon and Usagi's eyebrow quirk.  
  
*If we didn't have an audience, I would so say something.*  
  
Luna sat up and stared at her mistress suspiciously. "Did he make you into a hentai, Usagi?" She demanded loudly, making Usagi turn a very becoming shade of fuchsia and Koto grin impishly while the senshi waited for Usagi's response, which was a sputtered mess of "No!"  
  
Rei grinned in a rather evil manner. "Is our sweet Usagi having ecchi thoughts?" She taunted. Usagi turned to glare at her.  
  
"I am NOT!" She wailed, and then blushed even more. *How does she ALWAYS revert me to this!?*  
  
Koto smiled at her warmly. -Because you wouldn't be my little bunny any other way.-  
  
She glowered at him. *Sometimes I want to strangle you. Other times, I want to strangle you. And then I, at times, I want to strange you. But you make me love you! ARGH!*  
  
-Tyger, Tyger, burning bright....- Koto quoted to her, and her face went blank.  
  
"I forgot!" She gasped. "We're still undercover! Ack! Uhm, okay. Now that you people know I'm not dead, go home! NOW! Ack, we have to get back to the base! Uhm--what are you *standing* here for?" She was sinking into panic-mode, fast. "That was an order! Go home! Why did you even come in the first place? Oh... yeah... I was killed by an evil youma... but... that's completely beside the point!" She made a shooing motion with her hands.  
  
Rei looked at Setsuna, who nodded. Luna glowered and refused to get up, so she was picked up gingerly by Makoto. Haruka still had a firm grip on Mamoru's arm as she pulled up towards the gate that Setsuna had opened. Minako stopped in front of Usagi.  
  
"I don't want to go. None of us do, but you need to finish what you've started. Promise you'll come back?"  
  
Usagi nodded absently. "... and oh my god, we left Heero and Duo boinking in the middle of the forest and Duo doesn't have any clothes except for those wings and sure, Minako, no problem, and the other pilots are probably going to get captured and that's another problem and...."  
  
Minako giggled and hugged her friend.  
  
"Kino Makoto, you put me down this instant! I will not leave MY Usagi to be ravaged by that man--"  
  
"Oh, yes you will!"  
  
~'~  
  
Next Chapter: Snogging with Une! Wheeeeee! 


	6. Startled? Never.

Death, Be Not Proud  
Underneath Society  
aka  
Black Beyond  
  
~;~  
  
Alright! I admit it! Seven right guesses, odd number of wrong, and I'm willing to announce the news.   
  
I'm Black Beyond. NYAH!  
  
~'~  
  
  
Une paced in the length of the hallway and back, for the hundredth time. Kagami and Kage were late today, something they had never been before in their entire presence. And stranger yet, Zechs Marquise could not be found either. She didn't dare hope that the pair had actually pulled off the suicidal mission she'd given them. So far every single assassin, thief, soldier, and spy she'd sent after the handsome man had met their ends.  
  
But..... Marquise had never been late....  
  
"I *told* you he was a screamer!"  
  
"Who would have known he'd scream at the last moment, Kagami! I can't believe I bet against you."   
  
"You bet against me because you love me, baka. Now.... back to the original argument. She's sexy!"  
  
"Kagami!"  
  
Une straightened up and adjusted her glasses as the voices of the strange duo came down the hallway, coming towards her. She slipped inside her office and sat down behind her desk, and managed to look extremely busy as the knock at her door came.  
  
"Come in!" She snapped, in the harshest tone she could manage while gigantic butterflies of victory were having a nuclear war in her stomach. The door swung open and Kagami entered first, her uniform crisp and perfect, and following her with a slight slam of the door was Kage, also faultless in appearance.  
  
The giggling smile on Kagami's face vanished as she crossed the threshold, once more a soldier. The frigid glint in her eyes was frighteningly clear, the set of her lips hard. Kage's face was cool and level, however.  
  
"Mission Accomplished." Kagami announced, before Une even opened her mouth. "And quiet easily. He allowed us to lead him away from the base without a single argument, and we disposed of him in the forest." She said, in a tone that was so unnatural mixed in with a voice that could have been sweet and girlish.  
  
*I still say she's dead sexy.*  
  
-Do you see me arguing? The point is, there's no way you'll convince her to kiss you!-  
  
*I bet you I could.*  
  
Une's eyes shot to Kage as his eyebrows quirked slightly. -Oh, really? Fine. I'll take you up on it. What's the prize?-  
  
Usagi struggled to keep her face even. *First dibs on Zechs.*  
  
Koto surprised her. -Deal. But you only have until she makes us leave.-  
  
*Alright, lover dear. Until she makes us leave. And I'll throw you a bonus. I won't use magic.*  
  
-Oooh. My darling little bitch, you're something else. -  
  
*Save it for later.*  
  
Une looked at Kagami as a rather feral grin spread over the girl's face. "Are you pleased, Colonel?"  
  
Une was being to get rather uncomfortable for no reason at all. It was something in the way the two were eyeing her, and a strange feeling of helplessness she had never felt before. What was it about these two that made her feel so inferior?  
  
"Yes, of course I am pleased. This was a rather difficult mission and I honestly didn't expect either of you to return. General Khushrenada will probably want to commend you personally. Zechs has been worrying him for some time."  
  
*He's supposed to be dead sexy, too. Roses, you know.*  
  
-Focus, girl.-  
  
Kagami nodded, and stepped closer, right up to the desk. She leaned over to stare into Une's eyes. Oh, Ko-chan, this lady is sexy. You just have to get a load of her eyes. Without further ado, a fluid arm lashed out and snatched the glasses right off Une's face.  
  
Une gasped in outrage and went for the holster at her side, but Kagami's arm flashed again and caught her by her wrist, stopping her. Une struggled in the steel-like grasp, only to find that she could not get free.   
  
"Une-sama, I respect you so much. Why do you hide?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about! Unhand me this instant or you will have the barrels of eight guns on your neck!" She gasped again as Usagi swept the desk clean with her free hand and then flung herself on it, scooting closer until she almost nose to nose with the most dangerous woman in all of OZ.  
  
Koto was sure that in all of history there had never been such a staring match as that one. It went on for a timeless eternity, gray into brown, brown into gray.   
  
*She's going to break....!*  
  
-Evil little-- you're right.-  
  
Right on cue, Une's eyes darted away in a confession of surrender, and Usagi jumped back, smiling. Une jumped to her feet immediately, her gun drawn and leveled precisely at Usagi's head.  
  
To her rage, Usagi didn't flinch.   
  
"That won't do much good." Kage's voice broke the stalemate this time, making both women glance at him. "She only wants to kiss you."  
  
Kagami glowered at him. "Oh, like she'll kiss me *now*, you moron! You cheated! The bet is so off."  
  
"You were about to be shot at! I did *not* cheat!"  
  
Une stepped back, thoroughly startled as the two began to bicker back and forth like a pair of teenagers. The gun clattered to the floor, unnoticed by them all, and her hand went up to feel where her glasses should have been. They were off... but she didn't feel any different. She usually felt calmer when she wasn't wearing them, but she was still Colonel Une. And-- these beautiful young soldiers-- they were currently arguing over who got to kiss her?  
  
Needless to say, it had never happened before.  
  
"Did you ever give any thought that you could quite possibly be a succubus?!"  
  
Kagami's silver eyes blazed. "If I am, we can certainly owe it to your antics!"  
  
"MY antics?!" Kage roared. "How on EARTH did I make YOU become a raging nymphomaniac?!"  
  
"About the same way you taught me to CURSE, you pompous, handsome man! I was completely INNOCENT before all of this started, if you'd care to remember! I hadn't even been properly KISSED!"  
  
His eyes smiled and a smirk played around his lips. "Oh, but you certainly had enough twisted fantasies to make up for it. Remember that one with Mamoru and Motoki in a *mud pit*, of all things?"  
  
Her face colored. "Those don't count!"  
  
"If anything," He continued, confident in his victory now. "I simply gave you the confidence to believe in your fantasies. You were a closet nymphomaniac, love, admit it!" He crowed.  
  
Une blinked. As interesting as this was, their fight was getting louder by the minute, and pretty soon the guards would burst in to find her looking utterly dazed and that was simply not acceptable. She remembered what decorum demanded and brushed it aside. Her little mysterious assassin wanted a kiss? Une had been raised in a brutal fashion, and she would show Kagami exactly was a kiss was not supposed to be.  
  
Usagi was a bit confused. One moment she had been retorting to Koto with a nasty little remark and the next something strong had grabbed her by her shoulder and shoved her against the wall so quickly she wasn't sure of what to think as she looked up into Une's hard eyes.  
  
In that moment, Usagi looked exactly like an innocent little girl.  
  
And Une didn't care.  
  
-This is *nice*.-  
  
*Who's the closet nymphomaniac now--- ack!*  
  
Usagi's eyes went incredibly wide as Une's lips crashed down upon her own with bruising force and her mouth was forced open, the taste of coffee and vanilla flooding her senses for a moment.  
  
-She kissed you. Does that mean I win?-  
  
Usagi caught he bearing and grinned in a rather evil fashion. *Not on your life!*  
  
Needless to say, Une was a bit surprised when Usagi began to kiss back under the brutal assault, actually guiding Une's hands as they ravaged her body.  
  
Five minutes later, Koto was tapping his foot very impatiently. -BREAK IT UP ALREADY! That Colonel needs *oxygen* to live, Usagi! He glared quite evilly until Usagi pushed Une away and looked back at him, grinning triumphantly.-  
  
*I SO have first dibs on Zechs! WHEEE!*  
  
Une opened her mouth to say something scathing then the door opened and four extremely buff soldiers entered, followed immediately by Treize Khushrenada.  
  
-That's certainly convenient. Oooh. He's pissed because he can't find his loverboy. Oooh! Une didn't *know* they were lovers! Koto looked absolutely enthralled. This is bloody perfect!-  
  
Usagi had a rather calculating expression on her face as she straightened her uniform. *I think Une will be very happy that we lied to her and kept Mr. Hunky Ass at our place to be ravaged by two servants.*  
  
-Yeah, but why say anything? This ought to be interesting as is.-  
  
*You're positively evil, my love.*  
  
-And you're a hopeless romantic AND a nymphomaniac. -  
  
*Like you complain.*  
  
-I do, actually. You're kissing the Colonel and we haven't even groped.-  
  
*And whose fault is THAT?!*  
  
-Hmph. Shut up and let's watch Une get toasted. Oooh. Smell that cologne? Roses. Mmm. I have a thing for handsome men and roses....-  
  
*Careful. You might drool on him.*  
  
Koto didn't even bother to glare at her. He was busy watching Treize with a very unrelenting eye. Usagi, not for the first time, was grateful she knew his thoughts. To anyone outside of their little bond, it certainly did look as though he were plotting against the general.  
  
Une attempted to straighten her uniform and reached for her glasses only to remember that blasted girl still had them. Never mind, She had proven she could be a Colonel without them, and would continue on.  
  
"Treize." She nodded, wondering with a sudden blush exactly when the clasp on her bra had been unhooked. She squirmed, and chanced an evil glare at Usagi, who was leaning against the wall with a very self-satisfied look on her face.   
  
"Good morning, Treize-chan!" She looked over the man who would help her build Crystal Tokyo and nodded thoughtfully. "Not half bad at all. I was *wondering* when I got to meet you." She glanced over to Koto. "Oi, I'm game to give up the farce. You?"  
  
Koto shrugged. "I was just running from your Sailor Senshi. Now that I'm mostly sure of the fact they're not going to rip my genitals off and do nasty things to the rest of me, I'm good for anything."  
  
Usagi nodded. "So, you want to ask for their help now or force them into it later?"  
  
Koto stretched languidly and suddenly, his hair was back to a wondrous sunset and he was wearing the same strange alien clothing he had been when Usagi first created his body, a strange black kind of armor that was form-fitting and classy, something that could be mistaken both for formal wear or for armor and yet he pulled it off with a beauty all his own. With a wink, Usagi's hair was a brilliant silver and back up into odango, her clothes morphing into a long, dark purple velvet gown slit up her thigh, sleeveless, with a neckline that plunged dangerously low. A small silver cornet was now on her forehead.  
  
Treize's jaw hit the floor, his dignified rant about Zechs seemingly less important now. Une sighed and sat back down at her desk and let her forehead hit the top of the desktop.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself, General Treize. My name is Serenity, and I have a proposition for you that you'll find very difficult to refuse..."  
  
~'~  
  
  
  
A hour later, the four soldiers were playing poker in a corner of the room, Koto was lounging in a chair while Treize and Usagi chatted with Une in the other three chairs. It was a rather strange picture for anyone who knew either Une or Treize, but one that could be accepted with only minor fainting spells.  
  
"So, you're really the sovereign of the moon? Why haven't you spoken up before?"   
  
Serenity shrugged. "I haven't been here to notice you people polluting my home. I'm very displeased about it, actually. I'm just glad you haven't blown it up yet. I do believe with warning and threat, everyone there can be evacuated within a matter of days.  
  
"Just remove them." Koto decided to pip up with a sadistic grin. "Now, let me do it for you..."  
  
Usagi gave him a cold glare. "If you do, I'll remove any chances of you having children ever again!"  
  
Koto winced. "It was just a suggestion, love..." He amended, and sighed. "I never thought I would see the day when I took orders from a woman. Let alone love her."  
  
Treize smiled. "I think we can agree with your ideas, Neo-Queen Serenity. After all, it would be a mostly bloodless end to a long war. And for some reason I have the feeling we don't have much of a choice."  
  
Usagi's smile was just a tad smug. "Actually, you have a choice. Help me out or I'll have my consort here--"  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"--make you all mysteriously vanish never to be heard from again. Oh, you have a choice. It's just not much of one." She smiled at them warmly. "Besides, this way it's all much better. Yes, there are better ways, and there are worse ways, but this one suits fine enough."  
  
"But you do have the gundam pilots to contend with." Une pointed out. Usagi giggled.  
  
"Considering, I don't think they'll be much of a problem." Usagi shrugged. "I can't be killed, and if they try to resist, they will be eliminated."  
  
Koto looked at the two Oz officials seriously. "Two months ago those words would have never come out of her mouth. You people have no idea." He sat up, grinning. "I have turned her from a shy schoolgirl to a horny teenager without scruples and with the power of forty-three white suns. Aren't you proud of me?"  
  
Usagi swatted at him. "Evil bastard."  
  
"Nymphomaniac." He shot back, smiling at her.  
  
Une looked at Treize as the word began a war of words. "Why does it feel as through we are entrusting our fate to a couple of teenagers?" She asked seriously.  
  
Treize smiled, looking not at all perturbed. "We are. And perhaps that is the best thing to do."  
  
Une sighed and nodded. "If you think so."  
  
"OH! Speaking of bananas--" Usagi's hand covered her mouth. "We forgot to tell them we have Zechs!"  
  
Une counted to ten. "You what?" She congratulated herself on her level voice.  
  
Usagi grinned and looked abashed, and Koto nodded. "We figured that we didn't want to kill off someone that exquisite, so we hid him. Don't worry, he's safe and happily occupied."  
  
Une was outraged. "You *lied* to ME?" She glanced over at a now beaming General and lost a lot of air. "Oh."  
  
Koto grinned. "We didn't know he was banging the general. I only saved him because Usa-koi here wanted to boink him. And he was awfully pretty when we clouded his mind with the lust enchantments."  
  
Usagi shared his grin for a moment. "Oh, boy, the way he was panting..." She went off into daydream land. Koto thought about breaking her out of it, but she was broadcasting rather nice images to him, so he thought better of it.   
  
He slapped all the silliness that Usagi had a strange way of implanting in him out and turned to the two adults.  
  
"So, what was this conversation about in the first place? Oh, right." Koto waved his hand as to make it vanish. "What does politics really matter? Let us speak of something important. Tell me, General, have you ever watched an opera...?"  
  
~'~  
  
  
  
Haruka was pacing the length of the floor of Rei's bedroom, muttering under her breath. Makoto was ignoring the death glares that both Mamoru and Luna were giving her as she chatted with Ami and Rei. Minako was not helping matters any by dancing around the room swinging Artemis around with Hotaru are her side, discussing baby names.  
  
Michiru and Setsuna watched, amused.   
  
It's been half an hour?! Where are they!?" Mamoru muttered.  
  
Michiru's soft smile went unnoticed by all except Setsuna, who wore her own smile.  
  
"They're going to get quite a shock, aren't they?"  
  
Setsuna nodded, a mysterious smile on her lips. "They should arrive any moment. I've never had this much fun since her mother started running off to Charon for nocturnal fun and I had to cover her for her father." She sighed dreamily. "Wait until you see the expression on Mamoru's face."  
  
Michiru shook her head. "You've been having fun since you started breaking rules, haven't you?"  
  
Setsuna nodded. "It isn't like Neo-Queen Serenity doesn't change them anyway." She defended herself. Her trained eyes caught the slight murmur in the air, the signal of a temporal rip forming.   
  
She stood up and wordlessly became Sailor Pluto.   
  
Michiru watched as she assumed a dignified pose that was so natural on the senshi of time, summoning her key and watching an empty space in the corner of the room. She too, turned slightly to see. There was something odd about the corner, but she hadn't the training Pluto had.  
  
Everyone in the room had turned, eyes to Pluto, who by all outward appearances did not notice.  
  
She was the only one not truly surprised, too, a moment later, when a swirling vortex opened and three people stepped out.  
  
The first was easy enough. Koto did not change. Chaos had no rules to follow.  
  
And the woman.  
  
They felt her before they saw her. Koto, in a room by himself, was hard enough on the senses of even an ordinary person. His presence was enormous, unsettling, twisting and stroking the darkest fantasies in the depths of the mind, bringing forth all the things you wanted to forget. It was seductive, darkness, and something smooth, like luscious desire.  
  
To the senshi, it was like nothing they had ever felt before.  
  
With Usagi and Koto in the same room, before, there was an uneasiness before that touched them all, the feeling of two north magnets forced together, the feeling of impending explosion.  
  
But this was not Usagi.  
  
The sense that this creature created, on the arm of Koto, was inane.   
  
It was beyond words. It was having the sun and the moon in the same dark sky, snow falling on the hottest day of summer, the taste of bitter chocolate and cream, the scent of metal and lavender. It was seduction with angel wings, Satan wearing white.  
  
And she certainly looked it.   
  
The senshi had not known what to expect of the neo-queen.   
  
But they had most certainly not expected this. Even Pluto blinked.  
  
Hanging from her body, hugging it in all the right places with just the right flair, was a gown of crushed velvet, the color of dried rose petals, with long, long sleeves that brushed her elegant fingertips and a hem that swept the floor. The neckline swooped to reveal cleavage that no being, be they mortal or god, should have been allowed to possess and continued around her enticing shoulders to plunge down once again, showing off the flawless, creamy skin of her back.  
  
Her hair was shorter, and loose, falling just below her waist, the natural wave catching the light and adding a bluish tint to silver hair, making her gray eyes jump out of her face with an eerie sense of perception, which in turn led the eyes down to the alluring curve of her lips, outlined in blood and colored with rose.  
  
Once the eyes of the senshi were torn from their new leader, they found the third person.  
  
The silence was broken only by the thunk of Luna's unconscious body hitting the floor.  
  
"Chibi-usa?!" 


	7. Mordred, and Haruka's Dress

Death, Be Not Proud....  
Chapter... uhm... I forgot how many chapters? *grin*...  
  
~_~  
  
It's been a long, long week, minna.  
  
~-~  
  
  
But, although the startled recognition in Mamoru's voice was honest, it was not exactly the Chibi-usa they had known.  
  
Her hair was a darker shade of pink, almost purple, really. Her eyes were still the brilliant red of a pet rabbit, but her features were less rounded, more angular. She was perhaps all of two years old, but her eyes spoke of much more, her small hand in the queen's.  
  
"No." The child stared at Mamoru, disdain on her features. "My name is Mordred. My mother gave it to me. It was all she gave. I don't know you, but I am supposed to be polite. Her Majesty would only let me come if I was polite." Her little voice was haughty, but very pretty for a child.  
  
A low chuckle made them look back at the queen. "She isn't my daughter, minna-san." Her voice had changed. All of the lingering smidges of childhood had left them; it was a woman's voice, low and beautiful. "Stunning likeness, though, I must admit." She released Mordred's hand and knelt down, motioning gracefully to Minako, who was frozen, an equally stunned Artemis hanging from her arm.  
  
"Mordred, that is the lady I told you about. Why don't you go talk to her while I explain my absence to them?"  
  
Mordred nodded, and smiled. She flew across the room and glomped the senshi of love, giggling. "The queen has told me so much about you! Are you really Sailor V? My brother had all the comics..."   
  
Minako relaxed in the presence of a fan and grinned. "Sure, kid. Hey, did you ever hear about the time I..."  
  
Pluto stepped forward. "I trust it has been two years since you last saw us, My queen?"  
  
There was a slight outraged gasp from Haruka and Rei, but Usagi nodded.  
  
"Yes, that's right. Ko-chan said he would bring us back so that it had only been a couple of hours for you."  
  
The man looked at her, eyebrow arched. Through the arrogance there was love. "Do you think after all the practice I've had with magic these past few months that I would mess up a simple temporal rip?"   
  
She rolled her eyes. "Yes."  
  
His melodramatic intake of breath was rather amusing. "Bloody hell, woman, I slave away at building you a castle while you sit in an office and argue with Romafeller, and this is the thanks I get? Verbal assault? My heart... if you hadn't stolen it..."  
  
Usagi shook her head. "This isn't the time, Ko-chan." She looked at her senshi. "It's been two years. I've been working. We both have. Crystal Tokyo is built. Most of the alliances have been made, but everything is ready." She paused, and looked at each and every one of them, except Minako, who looked quite content entertaining Mordred. "If you want to come."  
  
Ami was the first to trust her voice. "You mean... go back to Crystal Tokyo? But... I thought..."  
  
"Wasn't there supposed to be a silence? And then the building of Crystal Tokyo?" Hotaru supplied, where Ami's words had failed.  
  
"I believe I will answer that." Pluto spoke up. She looked at Usagi while she talked. "There are millions of paths. This one is different from the one I led you to believe you would follow. You now have a choice, and like all choices of this magnitude, it will not be without consequences. She is your queen, your destiny. Eventually, you will have to swear yourself to her."  
  
"You can watch your friends and family die," Michiru added. "or you can go with Usagi and be spared that pain. I'm going."  
  
Haruka closed her eyes and nodded. "If Michiru goes, I go."  
  
Hotaru smiled. "You don't even have to ask, my Queen."  
  
Makoto shrugged. "It isn't like I have anything to loose."  
  
Mamoru cringed. Koto looked at him with great interest, and for a moment looked like he was going to stay silent. Finally, he sighed.  
  
"Fine. May I do it the direct way and hit him or beg for forgiveness for stealing his girlfriend?"  
  
Usagi gave him a dry stare. "Tactful, Koto. Tactful."  
  
He shrugged. "Well, he's going to be a child about it, so I think tact is lost. Not that I ever admired the concept anyway."  
  
Mamoru blinked and realized everyone was staring at him. He sighed heavily. "Alright. I'll go. I don't have to like any of this, but I'll go. And I'll be good." He added, for Usagi's benefit.  
  
Makoto clapped him on the back. "Welcome back, Mamoru-san." She said earnestly.  
  
And their eyes went to the two senshi who had something to loose. Family.   
  
Ami kept her eyes on the floor. "How long do we have to say goodbye, Usagi? I... I can't leave my mother without saying goodbye."  
  
Putting a firm, kind hand on Ami's shoulder, she nodded. "Ami, I understand completely. I wouldn't think of not letting you say goodbye. I need to say it myself."  
  
Rei slapped herself out of her stare. "Usagi, if you go up to your father looking like that, he's going to kill you both. When you left him you were SIXTEEN years old, blonde, INNOCENT, and... a schoolgirl, for crying out loud! You look like from seductress from the right side of temptation! And your hair is bloody WHITE."  
  
Usagi smiled faintly. "I can only imagine his expression. So, Rei, are you coming?"  
  
Rei whacked her old friend upside the head. "Of COURSE I am, Odango Atama! Don't be stupid! Someone has to go and keep you from falling into old habits!"  
  
Koto's eyebrow quirked. "I thought that was my purpose." There was something incredibly ecchi about his smirk that earned him a whack on the back of the head by Haruka.  
  
"Watch it, tomodachi." She warned.  
  
Koto merely smiled at her.  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes and took her lover's arm. "We need to go visit my family, Ko-chan. They're probably worried sick. The rest of you... go say goodbye!" Her eyes were solemn. "You'll see me around. I have a lot of friends to kiss goodbye."  
  
Koto nodded. "I have to be yanked around by this stunning succubus..." Usagi growled at him and dragged him out the door.   
  
"Baka! Do you want to be killed? I can do that, you know..." Her voice trailed away as she dragged her companion down the stairs.  
  
Mordred sighed. "And there they go again." She giggled and jumped down off Rei's bed. "I'd better go after them. Koto-baka gets into trouble a LOT..." She ran after the pair with a definite air of importance that only a child could assume so pompously without ridicule.  
  
Mamoru stared after the little girl with disbelief written all over his face. "She looks so much like Chibi-usa." He said, without really meaning to.  
  
Setsuna nodded. "I was rather surprised myself. I wouldn't be hesitant to say that Usagi had a hand in that birth. After all, she can't have children and she will need to train a heir, even though her life span is indefinite."  
  
She found, after a blink, that everyone left in the room was staring at her. "What? Surely you were able to deduce that." She sounded innocently confused.  
  
"She can't have children? Why not?" Minako asked, standing inconspicuously behind Makoto. Her voice was quiet, and her eyes lowered and guarded.  
  
Setsuna's face grew considerably darker. "Besides the fact that she simply cannot, if she were to use the ginzuishou in a manner as to allow herself to conceive, her own body would work against her. She would die before the infant could survive without her." Something black appeared in her eyes. "It has been tried, many times. Usually, a child is born with the aid of the Queen, and the Queen gives her blood to that child, and raises her as her own daughter."  
  
Ami blinked. Her mind was already systematically running through the technical details derived from the implications of Setsuna's statement. "Does Koto know?"  
  
It was Michiru's low chuckle that answered.   
  
"Haven't any of you figured it out yet? They're exactly the same. Of course he knows. He's just like her."  
  
"I wasn't aware that Koto could bear children." Mamoru commented, leaning against the wall in amusement.   
  
Setsuna looked at him with only a hint of displeasure in her eyes, trying to ignore that Haruka, who stood beside her, was also waiting for the answer.  
  
"Michiru means that they are the same sort of creature. If Koto were a female, which I assure you he is not, he, too, would have the same difficulty. So he understands. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd helped and offered his own blood. Mordred is most likely as much his child as Usagi's, which, honestly, is not much but is sufficient."  
  
Sufficient for what? But no one had the chance to ask. Makoto stretched and took Minako's arm.   
  
"I believe we have an apron-clad hottie to say farewell to, if none of you mind. See you all later." They left, without any sort of protest from a brooding Minako.  
  
Ami nodded. "I need to go explain things to my mother." She sighed rather darkly. Rei agreed and muttered something about finding her grandfather and Yuichiro before walking Ami out the door.  
  
Hotaru nodded. "I have no one, really, to say a goodbye to." She smiled sadly. "Would you like company, Mamoru, when you go to say adieu?"  
  
Mamoru shook his head. "No thanks, Hotaru." He sighed and looked towards the door. "I'd better go by myself. I need to speak to my professors, and if I run I should catch most of them.  
  
*Minna? Don't be alarmed. Telepathy is something I'll use with you often. But I had to warn you all... in about five seconds, you're going to ascend into the bodies that are rightfully yours...*  
  
Usagi's sweet whisper flashed through his head and he froze at the top of the stairs leading away from the Hiwaka Shrine.  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" He yelped aloud, just as a strange green glow took his body.  
  
He looked down to find himself wearing the black armor of Endymion. His eyes wide, his felt his hair. Softer. He knew it now had a lavender sheen. Taller, stronger, with the earth humming in his veins.  
  
He might have remarked something very sarcastic about tromping through Tokyo dressed like that, but Haruka's outraged shriek made him turn just in time to see her storm out of the Shrine, blue eyes blazing.  
  
Her hair was now paler, with a blue tint here and there. Her face was older, more refined, but really, she was still the same Haruka, still tall and proud.  
  
Except...  
  
Haruka Ten'oh, tomboy extraordinaire, was wearing a gown. A strapless, navy blue gown that looked like it had been spun from the wind itself.   
  
"I WILL NOT WEAR THIS DRESS!" She howled in absolute dismay. "I HAVE *CLEAVAGE*!"  
  
Endymion's eyes dropped.  
  
He felt decidedly uncomfortable.  
  
Yes, Haruka did have cleavage. And what wonderful cleavage it was. So soft, so creamy...  
  
She noticed his stare and her anger soared. Within half a second Endymion had the pleasure of knowing what it was to be socked in the jaw by Haruka.  
  
"Don't LOOK AT MY BOOBS!"  
  
Endymion wiped away a small tendril of blood that had leaked from his lip.  
  
"Sorry, Haruka-kun." He kept his eyes on her forehead.   
  
~'~  
  
  
  
Endymion was rather enjoying himself. His new body liked a long, fast, sweeping stride and for some reason people instinctively moved out of his way in the usually impossibly crowded streets. The twenty minute gauntlet was now a quick five minute walk and he liked it.  
  
He strode into the Arcade, pleased to see that Makoto and Minako, fully clad in their own sort of gown, already there and looking rather flushed.  
  
Makoto was wearing a very short sort of Greek tunic, almost the same length of her senshi fuku and tinted a royal green. Her hair was pink, a startling change. Minako wore a long, golden gown that shimmered and shone, the hem slanting from her uppermost right thigh down to the of her left side, and her hair taking on a vivacity that was clearly inhuman.  
  
"I see you both have experienced that lovely change." He said, his new voice just a tad deeper and possessing an almost hypnotic quality.  
  
Minako nodded, the blush very becoming. Her hair moved constantly-- or was that just the glow?-- and she looked every bit a Queen of the planet of love. "We were in here when it happened. Did you know that you go fully naked for a moment?"   
  
Makoto looked ready to kill. "Motoki saw us naked!" She pointed to an abashed male half hidden behind the counter. There was a very distinct handprint still pink on his cheek.   
  
"*Everyone* saw us naked." Minako moaned.  
  
Endymion chucked. "If it helps you, Queen Minako, Queen Haruka is now wearing a floor-length blue gown that shows off her cleavage."  
  
Makoto slammed her fist down on the table of the booth and guffawed. "Oh, I bet she just *loves* it. I do notice that lovely purple in your jaw, though."  
  
Minako smiled in a rather feral manner. "Were you staring at her cleavage, Endymion?"  
  
Endymion was taken aback. "She drew my attention to it." He defended himself.  
  
"MAMORU! Endymion! You RAN from me, you little coward! Get back here and fight!"  
  
The Queen of Uranus exploded through the door of the Arcade. Whatever people who had dared to stay after the transformation of Makoto and Minako promptly fled at the sight of the Amazon, welding the Space Sword.  
  
Michiru stood behind her lover, shaking her head sadly. "Darling, perhaps you should calm down. I'm sure the Prince didn't mean to look at your cleavage. And if he did... well, darling... it is such pretty cleavage..."  
  
In the face of The Look, Haruka crumpled. The sword vanished and she sulkily walked over to the booth that Endymion stood in front of and took a seat beside Minako and buried her face into her arms.  
  
"My life is over." She announced into the table.  
  
  
Michiru slipped past Endymion to sit across from Haruka. "Dear, it's not all that bad. Think of it as an added advantage. What adversary would suspect a lady of violence?"  
  
Haruka teetered for a moment, and then nodded, but did not sit up. "Maybe." She muttered.  
  
Endymion let the breath so, relieved he would not loose his pride that particular day. "Did Motoki leave, too?" He asked, looking for his friend.  
  
"No, Motoki did NOT, because Motoki wants to keep his job." A rather high, nervous voice came from behind the counter. "So, Mamoru... tell me this is just some weird Cosplay... that the glowie thing was weird props..."  
  
Endymion shook his head. "Sorry, chum."  
  
Minako smiled alluringly. "We wanted to tell you before, Motoki. Honest."  
  
Motoki's head peeked up over the counter to examine the small group of celestial royalty.  
  
"Someone really owes me an explanation..."  
  
~'~ 


	8. The Abuse of Mamoru

Death, Be Not Proud.  
Chapter Whatever  
XD  
  
Usagi's hand was happily wrapped around the smaller hand of Mordred, her other arm in Koto's. Overlooking their obvious differences from the people around them, they were by all external appearances a happy family.  
  
People stopped to stare as they walked down the street, Mordred merrily chirping away about Duo-oji-chan and the pink, fuzzy statue in the front lawns that Wufei-oji-baka went into fits at the sight of before they'd left.  
  
"Who's Nataku, anyway, Your Majesty?"  
  
Usagi tried not to choke on her giggles while Koto chuckled. "Nataku was Wufei's Gundam, Mordred. The big pink fuzzy thing."  
  
Mordred looked haughty. "It was very pretty pink."  
  
Koto looked at his lover. "No wonder Relena loves her. Did you coerce her into loving pink while I was gone some day or something?" He looked at the enchantress suspiciously. "You did, didn't you? Oh, my heart..."  
  
Usagi swatted at him. "You're too melodramatic for your own good, my dashing villain."  
  
Mordred tugged on Usagi's velvety gown. "Is this your house, Majesty?" She pointed down the lovely street they had turned onto. Usagi looked and nodded, smiling. "Yes, Mordred! That's my house."  
  
Shingo was playing in the front yard with one of his friends... Usagi frowned. Mika? Was that her name? The little doll maker girl, that's right. Koto pulled her a little closer as they walked towards the house, so familiar.   
  
Shingo and Mika turned to watch the threesome as they drew closer. Mika hid behind Shingo, wondering at the graceful steps and magnificent clothing.  
  
"Who are they, Shingo?"  
  
Shingo blinked, trying to figure out why the regal woman was so familiar. "I think I know her..." He said, his eyes clouded. "But I'm not sure."  
  
"They look so alien." Mika murmured.  
  
Mordred chose then to break free of Usagi's grasp. She ran the rest of the way up to Shingo, slowing to a walk and then stopping quite sudden a foot away from him. He looked up at him and broke into a great smile.   
  
"You're Shingo?" She asked, in her strange, grown-up voice.  
  
Shingo nodded, unsure. His surprise increased when the little girl jumped at him and hugged him. "I thought so! You're Her Majesty's brother! Oh, you're kawaii! Relena would LOVE you! And you're Mika, aren't you? Quatre-oji made me spent hours looking up the time period, you know, so I know all about you all! I'm Mordred." She stood back and regained her prissy posture as the commanding couple entered the yard.  
  
Usagi forgot her entire persona. She ran forward and hugged Shingo, swinging the twelve year old around. "I missed you, Shingo! It's been so long for me! It's me, Usagi!"  
  
Koto grinned as Shingo sputtered and looked at the taller, older woman. "USAGI?!"  
  
That was impossible. His sister had been missing for a few weeks. There was no way the lady hugging him was his sister. She was at least eighteen, if not older. Maybe twenty. And she looked like Usagi... maybe... if you squinted... but... but...  
  
Usagi smiled. "It's been much longer for me than it has been for you, Shingo-chan. Here, meet Koto. And this is Mordred... but you've already met her."  
  
"Hai, Your Majesty." Mordred replied smartly.  
  
Shingo blanched again.  
  
"Have you gone and made yourself the Queen of England?" He cracked, but the luxuriousness of her clothing and the Kingly posture of the man was very disturbing.  
  
Usagi smiled. "Of course not, Shingo-chan. I just came to say goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye?" Shingo repeated dumbly.  
  
Mordred beamed proudly. "Her Majesty is needed back in our world. She does wonderful things, and you should be honored to have her as a blood relation. Or, sort of, anyway."  
  
Koto shot the girl a sharp glance, but Usagi sighed. "Mordred, I thought Wufei lectured you on what topics not to touch upon in front of certain people."  
  
Mordred nodded, unfazed. "Wufei is a poopyhead."  
  
Koto burst out laughing, and Usagi bit down on her lip very hard. "Shingo, did you say Mama and Papa were home?" She asked suddenly, trying to divert her brother's attention away from her nearly hysterical lover.   
  
"Poopyhead..." Koto choked out, and then promptly recollapsed into laughter.  
  
"Uhm, no. But they are." Shingo's eyes widened as the weird man fell to the ground and began rolling with laughter. "Mama will want you to come in and talk to her." No one could fool his mama.   
  
"Ko-chan, stop behaving like a hyena!" Usagi turned and scolded Koto. Mordred giggled and then mentally noted to tell Duo about this. She had heard Duo-oji-chan say more than once that Koto was harder to crack than Yuy-baka-chan on a bad day. Calling Wufei a poopyhead might solve that problem.  
  
She smiled in a rather feral manner.  
  
Koto noticed the odd look on his surrogate daughter's face and stopped laughing. The girl was eerily like Usagi and therefore very, very dangerous. He chuckled a little and nodded.   
  
"Love, I'll take Mordred for some of the ice cream you raved about before we came back and yell at me when you need rescued." Koto offered his hand which was happily accepted by the child.   
  
Usagi glowered at him. "If I weren't so lazy that I needed you to take care of the yucky things, I'd kill you."  
  
Koto rolled his eyes. His love had such a fear of blueprints. "We shall see you later."  
  
Mordred proceeded to drag the single most dangerous man in the known universe down a quiet Tokyo street, babbling about bubble gum ice cream.  
  
~'~  
  
  
  
As luck usually does have her strange way with fanfiction, their trek involved going past a mostly empty Crown Arcade where Haruka was gesturing wildly to a pale Motoki, with several Planetary Queens and one purple-faced earth King behind them.  
  
Koto, despite all reputation, was intrigued. As was Mordred. While Koto murmured a spell that would allow their entrance to go unnoticed, the small girl dragged them inside the shop.  
  
"--And THAT was when we opened the door to our favorite sala de enamorada to find that our favorite couch was already occupied by one very naked moon princess and her equally naked fiancé. Minako, you will be delighted to hear that Mamoru likes to keep his socks on, but the boots, I believe, were on opposite sides of the room--"  
  
Minako squealed and bounced in sheer joy of the juicy tidbit, causing the extremely low neckline of her dress to reveal more of Minako than was decent-- not that Mamoru, Motoki, or Haruka seemed to mind.  
  
Motoki sniggered, using it as an excuse to bury his face in Makoto's shoulder.  
  
Mamoru was really too mortified to stare. "Haruka-kun, I SAID I was SORRY for staring at your boobs! I'm sorry you have boobs! Especially pretty ones! But is this really necessaaaaahhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Mamoru discovered that he could manage a rather beautiful alto C sharp as Michiru's elbow dug elegantly into his crouch.  
  
She blinked and removed the offending limb. "oh, I'm sorry, Mamoru-san! I didn't notice where my arm was going!" The voice was sincere, but the smirk defeated the effect.   
  
Mamoru wondered why his armor was defective.  
  
"What did you do?" Rei, wearing a long, red silk gown designed perturbingly similar to a kimono, directed Haruka back to her original purpose-- embarrassing the Earth prince into desperate actions.  
  
Haruka smirked. "I offered to give Mamoru a hand. Michiru, here, decided to embarrass them even more by lecturing Mamoru on his technique-- what was it, pumpkin? Something about 'No, no, Endymion, you don't squeeze her breast like that, you knead it-- here, like this...'"  
  
Motoki turned to look at the quiet, elegant women, his eyebrows slightly raised.  
  
"Actually," Michiru interjected, unfazed. "I think I said grasp. Not squeeze."  
  
Hotaru's eyebrow arched and she fingered the sleeve of her violet dress. It had been cut in a sleek, almost modern style that was formfitting to her hips before flaring out. "And the princess?"  
  
Mamoru went bright purple.  
  
Haruka chuckled. "Agreed with Michiru. The two of them started picking him apart while I stood and laughed."   
  
"It isn't funny." Mamoru muttered.   
  
Mordred giggled. "Royalty doesn't sulk, Endymion-baka!"  
  
"GAH! CHIBI-USA!" Several shrill voices cried at once.   
  
Makoto glared at Koto. "Baka! You let her listen!?"  
  
Koto shrugged. "She's heard worse from Maxwell."  
  
Motoki looked around. "Who is he? And why is Usagi's cousin with him?"  
  
Minako's eyebrow twitched. "Apparently, we left a few things out..."  
  
~'~  
  
*Come and save me, Ko-koi.*  
  
Right in the middle of Minako's explanation of the skimpy senshi uniform, Usagi's voice broke into his thoughts.   
  
-How's it going so far?- He asked.  
  
Usagi chuckled in his head, an odd feeling. *Daddy fainted right after the "I am Sailormoon" bit. Mama's interested in details about you, and Shingo is upstairs rummaging for his Sailormoon of Justice shirt for me to autograph before I leave.*  
  
-It could be worse, you mean.-  
  
*I'd rather they throw fits on me. This is scary. So... oh, my god. They made a shirt of me half naked. That SO is not my body. Anyway.... Mama wants to know if you're marrying me.*  
  
-Did you tell her I already did?-  
  
*I tried to tell her we had a Deity wedding. But no... she wants the human kind. Good thing we're leaving.*  
  
Koto grinned wickedly. -Don't you want an Earth wedding, love?-  
  
Usagi threw her annoyance at him. -Neither of us are human. What would be the point? Anyway, I'll be there in a second. Tell your harem to leave me a spot.-  
  
Koto was a bout to reply with some smart-ass remark when he felt the slight displacement of air that meant one of them had teleported. The senshi went very quiet as the queen appeared, looking harassed and agitated.   
  
"Ko-chan! My god, I swear to you that we need to DO something about that before we leave! Hentai! HENTAI OF ME!" She went into her Patented "How Can You Refuse These Big, Silver, Eyes?" expression, and Koto groaned and hid his face so he wouldn't have to see.   
  
Minako laughed. "Usagi, if you think the softcore stuff Shingo collects is bad, you ought to see some of Haruka's stash. Really bad titles like "The Senshi Senshi and the Tentacle Monster from Heck" and "Artemis's Lover"..." She shuddered a little. "Pretty Fly For a Hentai"... stuff like that. They've been going crazy."  
  
"You weren't raped by a squirrel in one of those, though." Rei muttered darkly.   
  
Usagi's eyes widened a little, but she allowed Hotaru to cough and change the subject without argument. "So, when are we going back?"  
  
Usagi shook her head. "I don't know. Soon. Have you all spoken to your families?"  
  
When everyone who could spoke their affirmatives, Usagi nodded, thinking. "I know that there were arguments… but nothing so serious that anyone is dead. If you like, we could go back right now."  
  
Motoki looked from his old friend to the other girls. "Go where? And you're Usagi-chan, right?"  
  
Usagi grinned. "Of course. Who else would I be? And we have to go back to the future, Motoki-san. Don't worry. I'll see you there."   
  
Motoki frowned.   
  
"But they said that was thousands of years from now. How will I see you there?"  
  
Usagi just smiled. "If I told you, that would be telling, now wouldn't it? Don't worry, Motoki. Forever isn't as long as you think it is. They do try to make it seem that way, don't they? Is everyone ready to go?"  
  
Haruka remembered the cause of her problems. "Before we do—Do I HAVE to wear a dress?!" She demanded harshly, throwing her most withering glare at the queen, who had to bite down on her lip to stop her smirk.  
  
"Oh, yes, Haruka. Didn't you know? No, of course not! You will have to on the trip there, but I've got wardrobes picked out for all of you, and I think most of it will be very familiar."  
  
Koto sniffed. "As it ought to be, with the amount of time you spent on it."  
  
She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you calling me vain?"  
  
"Yes." Koto nodded, smirking.  
  
Usagi glared, but never got to return the insult. Mamoru leapt up from his chair, grinning at Haruka, having just remembered a key detail to give him a one-up.  
  
"How's Pookie doing, Haruka?"  
  
Haruka's face went from confusion to outrage, and Mamoru had point two seconds to duck before Haruka came flying over the table.  
  
"You're the one who dyed my stuffed kangaroo green! I KNEW IT! DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  
  
  
  
O_o  
  
Yup, you can lynch me. ^__________^ 


	9. End!

Death, Be Not Proud  
Black Beyond  
aka  
Underneath Society  
------  
  
  
  
  
  
-Duo, stop bothering Wufei. We're coming back in an hour or so. With company.-  
  
Duo froze in the midst of mixing pink pigment in with Wufei's supply of the special soap the Chinese warrior insisted Nataku only be washed with and grinned.   
  
"Usagi! Babe! Darling! It's been so boring without you! You've been gone a whole day! And Wufei retreated into that damn meditation room you built him-- the one I can't go in?-- and he won't come out! And Heero won't snog with me... he's pouting about something... it *could* be that Relena moved in last Tuesday, but I doubt it."  
  
In his head he could see Usagi rolling her eyes. -I'm not even asking what you did to the Throne Room this time to make you babble this much. But it had better be fit for Mordred's eyes or I will allow Koto to publicly humiliate you.-  
  
Duo smiled a smug smile. "It's fit for kid's eyes, babe. You'll like it.  
  
Usagi's voice was wary. -I'd better. Now, Inform the cooks of the company and please take down the pornography from the front halls that I know you've put up again.-  
  
Duo pouted. "Baaaaabbbbeeeeee!"  
  
Usagi smiled in his head. -Nup. Take it down.-  
  
"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"  
  
Duo laughed. "And that would be Wufei walking through the throne room."  
  
Usagi groaned. -We're teleporting in soon. Clean up the palace. Love you, and I will see you."  
  
Duo smiled. "Love ya too, babe."  
  
  
  
The END! WOOOOOO!  
  
E-mail me with any questions.  
  
black_beyond@hotmail.com or underneath_society@hotmail.com  
  
What? ^___^ There's nothing else to tell. Unless, of course, the demand for a sequel is to my liking...  
  
In the meantime, I have another GW/SM fic: Reflections of a Soul... under my other FFN account, Black Beyond. And I've got an HP/SM up, as well as a DBZ/SM. Not to mention my bazillion other fics, all of which can be found under Black Beyond.  
  
Happy reading!   
  
*realizes how many of her fans she is pissing off by ending this series but really doesn't want to draw it out into a yucky, dry thing... as it is becoming*  
  
Like I said... if I've forgotten to answer questions that I posed in my eariler chapters or there's something you don't understand-- please e-mail me. I can do all the coda chapters I want. ^____^  
  
I love you guys! ^_^  
  
  
^______________________________________^  
  
  
  
Evil? Me? NEVER! Muwahahahahahahahahahahaha! 


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